Film and television production company Blumhouse, founded by Jason Blum, burst on the film scene in 2009 with Paranormal Activity, a low-budget found-footage horror flick. Paranormal Activity was box office hit, enabling Blum to finance other micro-budget (albeit financially lucrative) films, many of which have spawned franchises: Insidious, The Purge, Ouija, and Split. Although known primarily for horror, Blum also produced Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, which won 3 Oscars in 2015.
However, Blumhouse’s other non-horror efforts have not faired as well (both Lowriders and Birth of the Dragon have received middling reviews and poor box office returns). Blum hopes to change that with a new prestige project: Stoner. Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Hannah, Anna Karenina) and adapted by Andrew Bovell (A Most Wanted Man) from book by John Williams, Stoner will star Casey Affleck in his first acquired role since winning the Oscar for Manchester by the Sea.
John Williams’ Stoner follows William Stoner, a farmer born and raised, who falls in love with literature while studying at state university. After a series of trials and tribulations, Stoner emerges as a notable figure. The psychologically-dense, character-driven narrative seems like an ideal fit for Affleck’s notably low-key and emotionally-charged performances.
Ethan Hawke, who starred in Blumhouse’s The Purge and Sinister, will serve as executive producer.
This year, Affleck also starred in A Ghost Story, which has earned critical accolades. It remains to be seen if Stoner will generate Oscar buzz like Whiplash or Manchester by the Sea.
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