Gary Dauberman Brings Coin Operated to Blumhouse Atomic Under First-Look Producing Deal

Gary Dauberman signed a first-look producing deal with Blumhouse Atomic, the banner run by Jason Blum and James Wan, through his production company Coin Operated, effective next week. The Hollywood Reporter reported the deal.

Dauberman's Coin Operated Joins Blumhouse Atomic

Dauberman founded Coin Operated in 2020, and Mia Maniscalco serves as its president. The first-look deal runs through the company. In June, Dauberman was hired to write the script for the third installment of Five Nights at Freddy's, Blumhouse Atomic and Universal's adaptation of the video-game horror series.

Dauberman's relationship with Wan dates to The Conjuring Universe, where he wrote the spinoffs Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation and The Nun. He produced The Curse of La Llorona, the upcoming Revenge of La Llorona and The Nun 2, and made his directorial debut with Annabelle Comes Home, which he also wrote. He also wrote Warner Bros.' 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's It, directed by Andy Muschietti, and wrote and executive produced its sequel, It: Chapter Two.

"I'm thrilled to be working with these two powerhouses," Dauberman said in a statement. "It's been great to watch Jason make films that connect so viscerally with not just me, but fans all over the world." Wan said: "Gary has been a close creative partner for more than a decade, and has been an essential part of some of our most popular franchises of all time."

Coin Operated is coming off a first-look deal with Sony that yielded the video game adaptation Until Dawn, which Dauberman wrote and produced, and Helldivers, in development with Justin Lin directing. Dauberman and Coin Operated are represented by WME, manager Kathleen Remington and Toczek Suddleson.

Blumhouse's Box Office Scale

Blumhouse Productions, according to akta.pro company records, saw the combined Blumhouse-Atomic Monster cross $1 billion in worldwide theatrical box office for the first time in 2025, anchored by Obsession, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, M3GAN 2.0, Black Phone 2 and Wolf Man. The same records list a multi-film co-production deal with Lionsgate signed in June 2026 to reimagine horror classics, including a new Blair Witch Project directed by Dylan Clark with a fall 2027 release.

Blumhouse Atomic's Recent Deals

Blumhouse Atomic signed a first-look deal with horror comic creator James Tynion IV and his banner Tiny Onion in November 2026, beginning with an adaptation of the comic Exquisite Corpses developed across film and animation, Yahoo reported. In October 2026, Focus Features and Blumhouse Atomic set Nicolas Curcio's horror film Play House for an April 2, 2027 release, and Parker Posey was set to star in Sleepover from Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures with an October 8, 2027 release date.

Play House Release Date

Focus Features and Blumhouse Atomic scheduled Play House, directed by Nicolas Curcio, for April 2, 2027.