Blumhouse, ITVA ally for unscripted

LA-based producer Blumhouse Television has inked an exclusive overall deal for unscripted television with ITV America (ITVA), part of UK-based ITV Studios.

David George

Under the multi-year partnership, Blumhouse – headed by CEO and founder Jason Blum – will have a dedicated team working in collaboration with ITVA to create a new slate of non-fiction projects.

Blumhouse’s unscripted unit will also leverage opportunities to work with producers across ITVA’s six production labels – ITV Entertainment, Leftfield Pictures, Sirens Media, Thinkfactory Media, High Noon Entertainment and Good Caper Content – to develop new concepts and IP.

The first project to emerge from the deal is competition format Escape the Maze (working title), which will follow competitors who have been locked inside a labyrinth, encountering a range of physical and psychological challenges devised to make the experience both frightening and difficult.

Escape the Maze is being developed along with Leftfield Pictures, the prodco behind the survival format Alone on cablenet History. Leftfield and Blumhouse are currently taking the project out to prospective buyers.

ITVA CEO David George said: “Blumhouse is one of the most exceptional brands in the industry. They bring a virtually untapped genre to our portfolio. Their provocative sensibilities combined with our diverse production capabilities will create a slate of big shows and formats that will be like none other in the unscripted business.”