Focus Features, Entertainment One (eOne), Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) and Blumhouse Productions announced today that Leigh Whannell will direct the third chapter of the Insidious film franchise which he will also write.

Focus Features, which acquired the rights to release Insidious Chapter 3 from FilmDistrict, plans to bring the film to U.S. theaters on April 3, 2015. eOne will distribute the picture in Canada, U.K. and Spain. Sony will distribute the picture in the rest of the world. Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli and James Wan. Leigh Whannell has written both Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2 which earned more than $40 million at the box office in its opening weekend making it one of the largest horror genre openings ever and one of the biggest openings for a film released in the month of September.

Leigh Whannell most recently wrote and starred in the Sundance hit Cooties, the SXSW darling The Mule, and, along with James Wan, co-created the hit Saw franchise. Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman, and Xavier Marchand are executive producing. Principal photography of the movie is scheduled to start this summer on July 7th.

Peter Schlessel, Focus Features' CEO, said,

"It's with great pleasure that we turn the Insidious franchise over to the co-creator Leigh Whannell. We are all excited to see in what direction Leigh Whannell takes the next installment and we are also glad to welcome James Wan to his new role as producer."

Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said,

"We are all excited to bring a third film to audiences and know James Wan and Leigh Whannell have great things in store for our fans. eOne and SPWA have been incredible partners on the Insidious franchise and we look forward to working together along with Focus Features, James Wan and Leigh Whannell on the next installment."

Xavier Marchand said,

"We're thrilled to join forces with Leigh Whannell, Jason Blum, James Wan and this incredible team once again. Alongside Focus Features and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, we are excited to bring another installment of this successful franchise to its loyal fans in our territories and around the world.

Steve Bersch, President of SPWA, added,

"We are greatly looking forward to bringing this next chapter of Insidious to the International audience, and with Leigh Whannell at the helm we're confident Insidious Chapter 3 will live up to the high standards set by the franchise."

The first Insidious told the story of Josh and Renai Lambert and their son Dalton, confronting the demons that possess the young boy. The project was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by FilmDistrict in the US, eOne in Canada, U.K. and Spain, and IM Global in the rest of the world. It was released on April 1, 2011, and grossed $97 million worldwide. With the picture's reported $1.5 million budget, it has led to the film being called the most profitable film of 2011.

Insidious Chapter 2, the terrifying sequel, followed the haunted Lambert family as they sought to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey reprised their roles in the film directed by James Wan, who also directed the first installment. The film grossed $160 million worldwide.