Michael De Luca producing sci-fi thriller written by gemologist

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

I will always have some interest in following what producer Michael De Luca is up to, because when I was growing up he was frequently featured in the pages of Fangoria. This was back in his days of working at New Line Cinema, where he was involved with the making of such films as LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE, IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (pictured above), DARK CITY, BLADE, and BLADE II. Two of the films on that list (FREDDY'S DEAD and IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS) were written by De Luca.

Since leaving New Line, De Luca has worked on a handful of other genre films, like GHOST RIDER, DRIVE ANGRY, PRIEST, GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, and DRACULA UNTOLD.

De Luca is now set to produce another genre movie, this one for Universal, and it's getting some attention due to the fact that it's based on a spec script written by newcomer Adam Bloom, who primarily works as a gemologist, grading diamonds for the Gemological Institute of America. 

Details on the story are being kept under wraps. All that has been revealed is that the project is titled VARIETAL and it's 

a sci-fi-based psychological thriller centered on a married couple.

The original title on Bloom's script was POLLY/ANNA.

While still working as a gemologist after his script sale, Bloom has also lined up jobs doing rewrite work for XYZ Films and CITADEL / SINISTER II director Ciaran Foy.

Producing VARIETAL with De Luca is his company Michael De Luca Productions' Lucy Kitada. Universal’s director of development Chloe Yellin is overseeing for the studio.