Blumhouse Atomic, the horror company led by Jason Blum and James Wan, has signed a first-look deal with comic book creator James Tynion IV and his production banner Tiny Onion.
The agreement launches with an ambitious project: Blumhouse will team with Tiny Onion and Lyrical Media on an adaptation of Exquisite Corpses, Tynion's best-selling and award-winning comic book universe built around a serial killer battle royale. The title, which Tynion created with artist Michael Walsh, is being developed for both film and animation.
The two sides are already in business together. Blumhouse Atomic and Tiny Onion are working on a movie version of Tynion's horror comic Something Is Killing the Children, which recently brought on Craig Zobel as director. That positive experience opened the door to the wider partnership and the Corpses collaboration.
"James has been a valued partner on Something Is Killing The Children, which is why we wanted to expand our relationship," said Blum, CEO and co-founder of Blumhouse Atomic. "He has great storytelling instincts with a passion for the horror genre. As we look to develop more IP, this felt like a great fit, and we're happy to take the next step with him and Tiny Onion."
Tynion was equally enthusiastic. "From the moment I first stepped into the Blumhouse offices, it felt like coming home," he said, adding that everyone at the company and every filmmaker on its roster is dedicated to making great horror, and that he is thrilled to help bring these terrifying stories to life.
Exquisite Corpses offers a grim premise. Every five years on Halloween, the 13 oldest and richest families in America play a game of control, sending their so-called champions, killers of various stripes, into an unsuspecting town to fight until the last slayer standing decides the winner. The initial 13-issue series, which wrapped earlier this year, followed townspeople trying to survive the night as killers with names like Lone Gunman, Fox Mask Killer, Pretty Boy, Rascal Randy and Lady Carolina moved through their town.
The comic has sold over one million copies in its first eighteen months of publication by Image Comics. Three spin-off series centered on individual killers are now available, and a second overarching mini-series featuring new killers is planned for next year.
Tynion, whose other notable comics include The Department of Truth and The Nice House on the Lake, founded Tiny Onion in 2024 to gain a measure of control over screen adaptations of his growing intellectual property. Backed by an investment from Lyrical Media, the company develops new IP and releases graphic novels and comics through publishing partners such as Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Penguin Random House.
Something Is Killing the Children is expected to enter production next year, and an adult animated television series spearheaded by Tynion is also in the works. His short film and one-shot comic Room Service is in development as well. Tynion is represented by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and TroyGould.
Blumhouse Atomic, formed by merging the banners run by Blum and Wan, has nine movies set for release in 2027. The slate begins with The River, arriving in theatres Jan. 15, includes titles such as The Exorcist: Martyrs and Curry Barker's Anything But Ghosts, and closes with Drew Hancock's Seasons.
