Soooo, IPs:
Safe IPs that are almost definitely happening:
American Horror Story: Asylum / Cult :
American Horror Story has become the Walking Dead of this event, in that it's a popular TV series where each individual season, barring a few, can be made into a maze. My money's on Asylum coming next year, though I do still think Cult has a chance at being the house, depending on how the ending goes. Lord knows this season more or less forgot about the election at this point, so it'll be less politically controversial, at least.
Halloween (2018):
It's got Jamie Lee Curtis returning and John Carpenter making the music. It's one of the most recognizable horror IPs out there. Twitter announcements about the movie get an average retweet count rivaling that of an average Superhero movie. Blumhouse is producing, and they have a good relationship with HHN. Barring the fact that it's a repeat IP, there is no good reason why this shouldn't come.
Possible IPs:
Trick R' Treat:
Now, Murdy has said in the past that he'd wait for the sequel before making a maze, but there are signs that it might be coming next year. First off, the SZ in Orlando, and second off, there was a traditional Halloween SZ this year in Hollywood. Remember how the Dark Christmas SZ was ultimately turned into a maze with Krampus? Yeah, I think there's a chance for it here.
IT:
The most popular horror movie on the planet at the moment. Apparently, Universals has a good relationship with Warner Brothers, what with them getting the Shining and the Exorcist as well as the fact that they could've gotten the Conjuring if it wasn't for the lawsuit. There's a second part coming in 2019, so Murdy could probably pitch it to WB as an "advertisement house" a la Saw or Insidious this year.
Side not: I think Murdy actually said that the reason they couldn't do an IT house this year was because of the Neibolt House experience being a thing? Whatever the case, it won't be a thing next year, so that will be one more roadblock gone in getting this IP.
Paramount Pictures (Suspiria, Paranormal Activity, the Ring, Friday the 13th) :
This one is my "Dark Horse" possibility. Paramount recently hired a new CEO after a disastrous run at the box office this year. This guy is an archetypical pragmatic corporate guy, but that could mean good things for Universal. For example, he might see the amount of money Horror has been making in 2017 and decide to strike a deal with Universals on an advertising house based off of one of their IPs.
Suspiria would be the one I'm most excited for, but if it is an advertising house, it would have to be based off of the remake coming in 2018. The remake is supposedly NOT GOING TO BE COLOURFUL LIKE THE ORIGINAL FILM so my excitement will probably be blunted. On the off-chance that Paramount does allow the maze to be based off of the original Italian version, then the garish and bizarre architecture could really make for a nice, scary 3D house (we haven't had one of those in a while!).
Netflix (Stranger Things, Stranger Things, Creep, Stranger Things...):
This one is a bit of an unknown in terms of negotiations, but I think Netflix would be open to the idea of a Universals maze based off of their IP, especially considering that they've already given the OK to Six Flags Mexico to make a maze. This signals a willingness to give out their IPs for mazes; why not give it to one of the highest-end haunted attractions in LA?
Channel Zero:
AKA: The Creepypasta show.
Syfy has collaborated with Universals in the past (Face-Off) and guys, this show is actually really good. The showrunner is one of the guys that did Hannibal, so they got a history with NBC-Universal. It's based off of viral internet stories, so it should have good name-recognition going in. Candle Cove especially has some serious maze potential, but that does run into the Sinister problem of mainly involving children. Possibly less worrisome is No-End House and possibly next year's Stairways, which both feature more conventional antagonists like zombies and cannibals, respectively. I'm thinking either this or Trick R' Treat could fill the "Dark Horse" spot for this year.
Twin Peaks:
JUUUST YOOOOOUUUUUU...
AAAAAAND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII...
*ahem*
Mostly basing this off of the leak by our good friend Gallinado. I hope to God this one comes. Projection effects from Shining and Insidious this year are a must. Scares can come from BOB and the Woodsmen, there's plenty of opportunities. Climax can be in the Black Lounge or the Palmer House or maybe even the Roadhouse. Just please let this one come.
Less Possible IPs:
The Miramax Slashers (Hellraiser, Scream, etc.) :
Miramax is not owned by the Weinstein company. I know it's been suggested that the collapse of TWC would mean that Universals could nab this IP, but TWC doesn't actually own the IP. As it turns out, Miramax is, as of 2017, apparently owned by a Qatari media conglomerate known as BeIN Media Group, who also owns Al-Jazeera. On the bright side, Orlando's Scream fiasco happened in 2015, when the company was still owned by three separate companies with separate stakes in different things. This could mean that bad blood has blown over and negotiations could start anew. At the same time, this could be a pure unknown as far as negotiations go: would executives entirely understand the relevance of the original films? Or will they see that the MTV series is popular and try to pivot the maze towards that? How much of the negotiations will be international? Will the owners take a laissez-faire approach to negotiations or try to micro-manage everything? It's alot of variables, guys.
Hannibal:
The show is apparently in talks for a revival, and the important actors (Will and Hannibal) have signalled willingness to return. If Bryan Fuller can get it revived, then a house based off of Hannibal could be a possibility. This one has some potential with an obvious villain (Hannibal Lecter and the serial killers + the wendigo) providing the jump scares, but at the same time, the ratings for the show were never that great, and negotiations, especially if they're also trying to get Silence of the Lambs, could take a long time. Maybe into next year, after 2018.
The Conjuring:
Oh, I wanted this IP so bad, but that lawsuit trial is happening in April and that cuts the time a bit short. If WB can force a settlement beforehands, then that opens up the door for a Conjuring mashup house with the main movies, the Annabelle movies and the new Nun movie maybe at the end, in a sort of Jigsaw style advertising ending. But then, I'm really not sure if the lawsuit is going to be settled outside of court. I think Murdy will just retain his treatment from last year in case he can do it, but I'm not holding my breath.