Magical Elves to Produce Global Search for the Next Great Horror Filmmaker in 2019 Series
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 2, 2018 – Stage 13, the award-winning original premium digital content brand of Warner Bros. Digital Networks, and pioneering film studio New Line Cinema today announced the one-of-a-kind, competition horror reality series “Night Vision.” The 13-episode series will be executive produced by filmmaker James Wan and his production company Atomic Monster and produced by award-winning production company Magical Elves. The 2019 series will open a general call for entries later this year; click here for more information.
“I can’t wait to discover the next, new talent in horror,” said James Wan. “This competition is an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming horror directors to get noticed by the industry and audiences alike.”
In this distinctive competition reality series, 13 filmmakers will be chosen by a panel of the leading horror directors, producers, writers and executives, and presented with the challenge of creating the best, scariest short films possible.
The winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime development deal with New Line Cinema, the preeminent horror studio whose blockbuster films include “The Conjuring” Universe, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” and “Final Destination” franchises, as well as the highest grossing horror film of all time, “IT.”
“New Line has a proud history of horror and we’re eager to partner with filmmaker James Wan, Atomic Monster and Stage 13 to discover the boldest new voices in the genre that will thrill and excite audiences everywhere,” said Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer, and Carolyn Blackwood, President and Chief Content Officer, New Line Cinema.
“We want to discover the storytellers who are going to push the genre further and drive a new generation in horror fandom. Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, James Wan and the team at Atomic Monster are leaders in this space and we’re thrilled to be part of this project,” said Diana Mogollón, SVP and GM for Stage 13.
ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA
Building on over 50 years of innovation and creativity, New Line Cinema continues its long and successful history of producing critically acclaimed hit films that resonate with both mainstream and niche audiences around the world.
New Line became a unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment in March 2008. The company maintains separate development, production and business affairs operations, but coordinates those functions with Warner Bros. to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies. New Line produced the Oscar Award-winning The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which generated a combined worldwide box office of almost $3 billion (and an additional $3 billion in consumer products and home entertainment revenue). This was followed by a trilogy of films based on The Hobbit, which also generated close to $3 billion in global receipts.
The studio is credited with revitalizing the genre of the R-rated comedy with the success of Wedding Crashers in 2005, and has a history of producing groundbreaking comedies such as the Austin Powers titles, the Rush Hour series, Dumb and Dumber, The Wedding Singer, Friday, Horrible Bosses and We’re the Millers. A pioneer in the horror genre, New Line is widely known for the iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street, Final Destination and Blade franchises. In 2013, New Line released the global blockbuster The Conjuring which launched a horror universe that includes the hit films Annabelle, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation and The Nun. The films have earned over $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time. In 2017, New Line released the highest-grossing horror film of all-time, IT, based on the classic Stephen King novel.
New Line’s long list of popular films includes: The Mask, Seven, The Notebook, Elf, Hairspray, Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2; Journey to the Center of the Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island; He’s Just Not That Into You, San Andreas, Creed, Me Before You, Central Intelligence, and Rampage.
ABOUT STAGE 13
Stage 13 is an award-winning, fearless, original digital content brand showcasing a new generation of inspired talent and voices in scripted and unscripted storytelling. The brand’s series, including its award-winning horror series “Two Sentence Horror Stories,” “Snatchers” and “La Quinceañera,” are available on the Stage 13 platform, Facebook, YouTube, as well as its distribution partners including Netflix and Canal+. Creating dynamic series for a multidimensional audience, Stage 13 is part of the Warner Bros. Digital Networks.
ABOUT ATOMIC MONSTER
James Wan’s production company, Atomic Monster, launched its slate with the highly successful Annabelle, followed by Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation, and The Nun.
Next up for the company is The Curse of La Llorona, a horror film starring Linda Cardellini for New Line to be released in April 2019. The next installment of the Annabelle franchise will begin production in October to be released in 2019.
Atomic Monster began its television slate with MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic television series. The show which premiered on CBS in the Fall of 2016 has recently kicked off its third season. Currently in pre-production for the company is Swamp Thing for Warner Bros. Television. The series will begin streaming on DC Universe in 2019.
ABOUT MAGICAL ELVES
Magical Elves is the award-winning production team behind some of the highest quality documentary, unscripted and digital series found across all media platforms. Since the company was founded, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz have been nominated for numerous awards, winning Emmys for both “Top Chef” (Bravo) and its digital counterpart “Last Chance Kitchen,” a Peabody for “Project Runway” and an IDA award for “Time of Death” (Showtime). Other credits include: “Nailed It” (Netflix), “Sugar Rush” (Netflix) “Top Chef Junior” (Universal Kids), “Chasing Cameron” starring digital celebrity Cameron Dallas (Netflix), “Project Greenlight” (HBO), “Cold Justice” (Oxygen), “Braxton Family Values” (WE), and “Fashion Star” (NBC). Feature films include the critically acclaimed “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”, “Katy Perry: Part of Me” and “Under The Electric Sky” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert documentary, “Soul 2 Soul” (Showtime). Magical Elves joined forces with international media producer and distributor The Tinopolis Group in 2014.
ABOUT WARNER BROS. DIGITAL NETWORKS
Warner Bros. Digital Networks (WBDN) creates, builds, and operates direct-to-consumer digital services, digital premium content, and experiences. The WBDN team is charged with bringing together a diverse portfolio of iconic brands and innovative, exclusive premium content, focused on serving digital-first audiences. Leveraging the studio’s iconic franchises and vast library, WBDN’s portfolio includes DC UNIVERSE and DramaFever, as well as Boomerang and Filmstruck in partnership with Turner. WBDN also produces and distributes premium digital series through Stage 13 and Machinima and in partnership with LeBron James’ Uninterrupted and Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellen Digital Ventures. Warner Bros. Digital Networks’ premium programming and digital offerings put viewers at the center of entertainment, sports, gaming, and pop culture, reaching audiences anywhere, across any platform.
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ANNABELLE, ANABELLE:CREATION, THE CONJURING 2, IT, and LIGHTS OUT and all related characters and elements © & TM Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s18)
Licensed by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Media Contacts
For New Line Cinema:
Cathy Nam
Cathy.Nam@newline.com
For Stage 13:
Hanna Bolte, Bolte Media
310-497-5586
Hanna.Bolte@wbconsultant.com; Hanna@boltemedia.com
For Atomic Monster/James Wan:
David Mortimer
david@mortimerpr.com
For WBDN:
Heather Gore, Spark PR
415-321-1885
heather.gore@sparkpr.com
