With a new, enigmatic project that is being referred to as a modern spin on something ancient, Lee Cronin is on the rise. The director, best known for Evil Dead Rise, has teamed up with Blumhouse and James Wan for a new picture. The film is titled Atomic Monster. The project will be released by New Line Cinema, with an April 17, 2026 release date announced.
The film, which is notable for being the first to be approved under the newly combined Atomic Monster and Blumhouse banners, will be written and directed by Cronin. The agreement follows Evil Dead Rise’s $147 million worldwide box office triumph. Cronin’s Doppelgängers banner will also be participating.
In a statement, Cronin, who had promised “something wickedly entertaining and terrifying,” commended his collaborators.
“Collaborating with Jason, James and the wonderful teams from these two storied and massively successful organizations is what perfect nightmares are made of,” Cronin remarked. “Getting to return to New Line Cinema and my wonderful partners over there is the cherry on top.”
Blum continued, “he has an intriguing, modern take on something quite ancient that I think audiences will love.” Wan described Cronin as “a gifted filmmaker in the world of horror whose storytelling has electrified audiences.”
“Collaborating with Jason, James and the wonderful teams from these two storied and massively successful organizations is what perfect nightmares are made of,” Cronin remarked. “Getting to return to New Line Cinema and my wonderful partners over there is the cherry on top.”
Blum continued, “he has an intriguing, modern take on something quite ancient that I think audiences will love.” Wan described Cronin as “a gifted filmmaker in the world of horror whose storytelling has electrified audiences.”
With his 2019 Sundance premiere film The Whole in the Ground, which was distributed by A24, Cronin gained notice. The main character of the movie was a mother who started to believe her little kid was a double. Cronin titled his production firm Doppelgängers, which is a fitting moniker, and in March the shingle signed a first-look deal with New Line.
