Incredible Actor Michael Greyeyes Just Signed A Deal With Blumhouse
Blumhouse is looking to get into the Michael Greyeyes business, and who could blame them? Every time Greyeyes shows up in a film or series he raises the project's quality by at least a star or two. Whether it's a leading part or a walk-on role, Greyeyes is quickly establishing himself as a character actor to be reckoned with.
Deadline is reporting that Greyeyes has signed a first-look development deal with Blumouse, which means that the actor, director, and professor will be bringing new projects to the fright factory. That doesn't necessarily mean we'll see a slate of Blumouse movies starring or produced by Greyeyes as sometimes these things get signed, someone gets paid, and then the whole thing evaporates, but it's a positive step for all involved.
There's not a whole lot of information in the Deadline story; no mention of any potential projects Greyeyes is developing with the studio, which leads me to believe that these are very early days indeed.
Reading Between the Lines
Something you can deduce from this deal is that Jason Blum and his partners have seen what Michael Greyeyes did as the main heavy in their "Firestarter" remake and they want to lock that dude down before the rest of the industry sees it.
Greyeyes is playing John Rainbird in this remake, a role played by the extremely miscast George C. Scott in the original Drew Barrymore film. Rainbird is a cunning assassin who is obsessed with death, specifically the moment the lights go out in his target's eyes. He believes the secret to the great unanswered question of the universe can be found there. So, when he's sent after a poor little girl who just happens to have the ability to start fires with her mind, you know it's bad news.
It's a disturbing character as written by Stephen King and after seeing the intensity Greyeyes brought to his previous work in stuff like "True Detective," "Wild Indian," and "Blood Quantum," the sky's the limit to how much more terrifying this character will be in the new film.
Clearly, the head honchos at Blumhouse think he knocked it out of the park. In this industry, money speaks louder than words, so if they're signing Greyeyes to a development deal, you know they're all-in.
Time will tell on what kinds of projects he brings to the studio. The obvious thought would be genre since Blumhouse is indeed built on its successful horror films, but don't forget Blum also produced Spike Lee's "Blackkklansman" and Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash," as well.
Like I said before ... the sky's the limit.