Riding high on the recent global box office success and quadruple Academy nominations of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Blumhouse Productions continues its relationship with unique filmmaker voices by optioning another politically relevant screenplay, You Bury Me, written by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Lexi Alexander (Johnny Flynton and Hooligans) and brought to the company by A-list helmer Scott Derrickson, a longtime Blumhouse collaborator. Taking place in Iraq, Syria and Turkey, You Bury Me, is an epic love story set against the political turmoil of a region rarely, if ever, portrayed on screen from the point of view of a filmmaker with both western and Middle Eastern background.
Derrickson, who helmed Marvel’s Doctor Strange and most recently the Snowpiercer pilot for TNT, is working with series writer/director Lexi Alexander, who includes among her credits writing and directing the feature Green Street Hooligans and directing television episodes of How to Get Away With Murder, Taken, Limitless, Supergirl and Arrow. Both will serve as executive producers.
“The ability to pair an industry veteran like Scott, with whom we have an established relationship, with a filmmaker like Lexi, provides us with a great opportunity to cultivate a new and compelling creative voice,” said Jeremy Gold, co-president Blumhouse Television. “Scott and Lexi’s feature film sensibility is perfect for the scope of this torn from the headlines saga which interweaves the complications of love against a story with dangerous and far-reaching political consequences. It’s exactly what audiences seeking a premium television experience are craving,” said Marci Wiseman, co-president Blumhouse Television.
“Blumhouse is the perfect home for You Bury Me, said Derrickson. “They are risk takers with a passion for good story and have a long track record for helping creators bring their vision to both the big and small screen.
Derrickson is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and WME. Alexander is with Mosaic Media Group and Kaplan Stahler Agency.
Blumhouse Television has earned critical acclaim and numerous honors for its dark, edgy fare including Emmy awards for its productions of HBO's “The Normal Heart” and “The Jinx,” as well as the prestigious Peabody award for “The Jinx” and the documentary “How to Dance in Ohio.” Blumhouse Television launched as an independent studio in 2017 with funding from ITV. Projects currently in production include “Secure and Hold,” a limited series for Showtime based on journalist Gabriel Sherman's reporting on former Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, with Tom McCarthy writing and executive producing; “Sharp Objects,” a limited series from Marti Noxon and Gillian Flynn for HBO based on Flynn's best-selling novel of the same name, starring Amy Adams and directed by Jean-Marc Valle; “The Purge,” from writer/director/producer James DeMonaco based on the popular film franchise of the same name for USA/SyFy; as well as “Run For Your Life,” a supernatural race on the final night of Dia de los Muertos; and the long-gestating “Tremors” reboot, headlined by original star Kevin Bacon, both of which have a pilot order from USA/SyFy. Blumhouse Television is the latest venture from Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, which is widely-recognized for its pioneering model of producing high-quality micro-budget films including “The Purge,” “Get Out” and “Whiplash.”
