Anna Daniels
The original scream queen is relinquishing her crown for a director’s chair. Jamie Lee Curtis is stepping behind the camera to direct the eco-horror film Mother Nature in the first project of a first-look deal with Blumhouse, the studio that brought the actress back in her most iconic horror role in 2018’s Halloween.
Jamie Lee Curtis has signed a first look deal with Blumhouse for both film and TV projects developed over the next three years. The actress-director-producer multihyphenate signed the deal via her company, Comet Pictures, and has already started work on the first film under the deal: a horror film centered around climate change called Mother Nature.
Curtis will direct the film which she is co-writing with Russell Goldman, the recently appointed development head of Comet Pictures’ film and television. This will mark Curtis’ feature directorial debut after long being associated with her breakout role as the legendary scream queen Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise, though she has directed episodes of Scream Queens and Anything But Love. Goldman has worked with Curtis before as an assistant to David Gordon Green on Halloween, but has debuted several short films at film festivals across the world.
“I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’ I’m excited to have a creative home to explore my own ideas and others. Jason and his team have made me feel welcome. Comet is ready to bring these stories to screen life,” Curtis said in a statement.
It’s not surprising that Curtis would strike a deal with Blumhouse after the massive success of 2018’s Halloween, David Gordon Green’s revival of the franchise which brought back Curtis’ Laurie Strode as a toughened warrior. Raking in more than $255 million worldwide, Halloween broke records for a horror movie with a female lead, and the biggest opening for a movie with a female lead over 55. The film reinvigorated the Halloween franchise, for which Curtis executive produces and is set to return in two more films: Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.
“Jamie is a force of nature and was a real partner on Halloween. So it’s both an honor and incredibly apt that she’s making her first feature film as a director with Mother Nature,” said Blumhouse founder Jason Blum.
It’s exciting to see Curtis get behind the camera after decades of being associated with the scream queen title, though she has long embraced the label and carved out a rich career outside of Halloween with a series of comedic, dramatic, and award-winning roles. A long-time activist, Curtis’ first feature directorial effort being a horror movie about climate change makes sense as well. We’ll keep an eye out for a release date and more information for Mother Nature.
Cool Posts From Around the Web: Written by: Slash
