JASON BLUMENTHAL (Producer) is partnered with Todd Black and Steve Tisch in Escape Artists, the successful production company behind such blockbusters as “The Pursuit Of Happyness,” “The Equalizer” and “The Magnificent Seven.”
Other films that Blumenthal has produced under the Escape Artists’ banner include “The Equalizer 2,” starring Denzel Washington, “Southpaw,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, “Unfinished Business,” starring Vince Vaughn, “Sex Tape” with Cameron Diaz, “Hope Springs,” starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, “The Back-up Plan” with Jennifer Lopez, Tony Scott’s “The Taking of Pelham 123,” “Seven Pounds,” starring Will Smith, and “Knowing” and “The Weather Man,” both starring Nicolas Cage.
In 1990, after graduation from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications, Blumenthal joined Wizan/Black Films, where he met Producer Todd Black. There, he was involved with the development and production of “Iron Eagle II,” “Split Decisions,” “The Guardian,” “Short Time,” “Class Act,” “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway,” “Dunston Checks In,” “A Family Thing,” and “Bio Dome. They also executive produced “Becoming Colette” and “Fire In The Sky.”
Blumenthal became Senior Vice President of feature production at Mandalay Entertainment at the company’s inception in 1995. He managed such films as “The Fan,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Seven Years in Tibet,” “Les Miserables,” “Wild Things,” “Gloria,” and “The Deep End of the Ocean.” One of Mandalay’s biggest box office successes was “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” which was #1 at the box office for three weeks and grossed more than $130 million worldwide. It spawned the sequel, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.”
In April 1998, Blumenthal and his partner, Todd Black, formed Black & Blu Entertainment, entering into a first look production deal at Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 2001, Black & Blu merged with the Steve Tisch Company to become Escape Artists while still maintaining their first look deal at Sony Pictures.
Escape Artists has also been behind two hit television shows. Partnering with M. Night Shyamalan, Escape Artists has released its fourth and final season of “Servant” for Apple TV+. Also coming down the pipe, is the follow up season to the successful “Dr. Death”, for Peacock. The second season starred Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramirez.
Upcoming projects include the much-anticipated adaptation of “Masters of the Universe”, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, and Jared Leto, made with Amazon Studios. Also, on the horizon is “Madden”, also made in partnership with Amazon Studios, starring Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale, directed by David O. Russell – as well as “Voicemails for Isabelle” for Netflix, written and directed by Leah McKendrick, and starring Zoey Deutch.
On the television front is “DTF St. Louis”, created by long-time collaborator Steve Conrad, and starring David Harbour, Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and Richard Jenkins, for HBO.