Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin partners with Blumhouse, Atomic Monster & New Line for new movie

Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin is set to write and direct a new movie for Atomic Monster, Blumhouse, and New Line, marking the first collaboration between the merged companies and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.

The new Lee Cronin movie has already been given a release date of April 17, 2026, but unfortunately, that’s about all we know at this time as the plot is being kept under wraps. The film is naturally expected to be in the horror genre.

“I am super excited to be gathering up my gang of oddballs from Doppelgängers to join forces with the overlords of horror at Blumhouse and Atomic Monster,” Cronin said in a statement. “Collaborating with Jason, James and the wonderful teams from these two storied and massively successful organizations is what perfect nightmares are made of. Getting to return to New Line Cinema and my wonderful partners over there is the cherry on top. I’ve got something wickedly entertaining and terrifying hidden up my sleeve, and I can’t wait to bring it screaming to the big screen on April 17th, 2026.“

James Wan, Atomic Monster CEO and founder, said, “Lee is a gifted filmmaker in the world of horror whose storytelling has electrified audiences. We’re excited to collaborate with him on this project, and to bring viewers on a wildly entertaining ride.” Blumhouse CEO and founder Jason Blum added, “Lee’s work is always fresh and surprising and he has an intriguing, modern take on something quite ancient that I think audiences will love. This also marks an exciting series of firsts for us: Atomic Monster and Blumhouse’s first time working with Lee and our first joint project for Warner Bros. We can’t wait to get started.“

As far as Evil Dead goes, there are actually two new movies in development. It was announced earlier this year that Sébastien Vaniček (Vermin) had been tapped to direct the next installment of the franchise, but just two months later, it was revealed that Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop In Yuma County) would be writing and directing his own Evil Dead movie. Both movies will be moving forward, but it remains to be seen which will be released first.