By Mike Fleming Jr.
March 8, 2018
EXCLUSIVE: Hot off its mammoth success with the Oscar-winning “woke” genre thriller Get Out, Blumhouse has won an auction for Invasion. The spec script by John Swetnam and Harris Wilkinson wraps a ticking clock sci-fi premise with themes that include immigration. Essentially, the thriller revolves around a home invasion that happens during an alien invasion.
Swetnam will produce the film with Jason Blum, and Wilkinson will be exec producer. Blumhouse veep of development Ryan Turek brought in the project and will be co-producer. The deal includes progress to production language and it is expected to start production later this year. There is a strong female role in the film.
Swetnam most recently sold the spec Ruthless to Amblin, and before that he wrote Into the Storm for New Line, and wrote and directed Breaking Through. Wilkinson is a prolific director of commercials who also was a producer on the TV series My Crazy Ex and My Haunted House. He also scripted Leprechaun: Origins.
Swetnam and Wilkinson are repped by Verve. Swetnam is managed by Industry and lawyered by Hanson Jacobson, and Wilkinson’s attorney is Rob Szymanski.
Blumhouse is hopping. It had three No. 1 opening-weekend 2017 thrillers in Get Out, Split and Happy Death Day, all of which became blockbusters. Next up is Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare out April 13. Blumhouse will world premiere two films this weekend at SXSW: the Leigh Whannell-directed sci-fi thriller Upgrade which BH Tilt is releasing June 1, and another untitled thriller.