Director Michael Bay is currently Paramount Pictures' golden boy, thanks to the incredible success of his Transformers movies. However, the filmmaker known for his over-the-top productions also runs Platinum Dunes, a production company responsible for reinventing and repackaging a number of classic horror movies where the key words are "low budget" — and Paramount wants in on the action.
Variety reports that Bay's Platinum Dunes has signed a first-look production deal with Paramount Pictures' president, Adam Goodman. Platinum Dunes is responsible for the recent return of several big-name horror franchises to the box office, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, The Amityville Horror, and the upcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street, all of which were made on comparatively modest budgets. Surprising no one, Goldman said that he's a fan of the company because they make money:
What makes us so excited to have Platinum Dunes here at Paramount is how ... they have consistently created excitingly commercial movies that have proven to be a formidable force at the box office.
Bay said that he is looking forward to taking a break from Transformers to work on some smaller-scale pictures:
I found myself tossing and turning, and realized there was a reason I originally wanted to push [Transformers 3] until 2012, and do a small movie in between. This is hard, and I'm getting too old for this pressure.
What that means for Bay, though, who can guess? Something tells us his "small movie" will still get a budget north of $100 million.