It was all looking so promising. Universal stepped away from their big-budget feature based on the Ouija game, then they altogether cut ties with Hasbro on future board games adaptations. It was too good to be true, as they’ve re-teamed on the Ouija film and the companies have announced a revamped version of the film.
THR reports that director McG is off the project, but powerhouse producers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form of Platinum Dunes a have stayed on, with an added element. Paranormal Activity and Insidious producer Jason Blum has jumped on board and likely the catalyst for a massive budget change.
He is bringing his insane, low-budget success with him and the budget went from around $100 million down to a relatively minuscule $5 million. I can’t be the only one to find this combo with Bay odd, as when he usually touches projects they aren’t of this ilk. Reports indicate that this one won’t be found-footage, so I fear what other new found method they come up with here to get the budget so low.
No word yet on whether Fright Night writer Marti Noxon is still on board, but you can expect an Ouija with no stars hitting theaters in 2013. With a budget like this, I fully expect it to just be a documentary on people playing the game.
What do you about a low-budget Ouija film?