Netflix, A24 & Overlook Film Festival

Shudder has acquired three horror titles—Parasomnia (psychological found-footage), Goody Goody, and New Group—that will play Overlook Film Festival and are slated to release on the streamer by end of 2026, signaling continued Shudder investment in festival-driven indie acquisitions.

Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein signed a multi-project first-look deal with Sony (covering all studio labels) under which they’ll direct the Columbia Pictures adaptation of Metal Gear Solid; the pair rose after Final Destination: Bloodlines grossed $317M worldwide on an approx. $50M budget.

Brad Bird's long-gestating adult neo‑noir sci‑fi Ray Gunn, produced under Skydance/Netflix, will stream on Netflix in 2026 and the first images suggest a Blade Runner‑meets‑film‑noir aesthetic; the piece also calls out John Lasseter and Skydance leadership controversies.

Netflix’s Wednesday Season 3 added guest stars Lena Headey, Andrew McCarthy and James Lance as production continues near Dublin, joining previously announced returns (Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones) and new cast members including Eva Green and Winona Ryder.

James Wan confirms his Call of Cthulhu adaptation is still alive but stalled by a very large projected budget — Wan says Lovecraftian scale makes financing difficult, so the project is in development but not greenlit for production.

Raven Banner has confirmed it will bring the gore sequel Deathgasm II: Goremageddon to Cannes, positioning the indie metal-horror follow-up for international sales and festival exposure.

Overlook Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary (Apr 9–12) in New Orleans with 62 films (36 features, 26 shorts) including closing-night title Hokum starring Adam Scott; founders Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim oversee programming.

Kyle Hawley has been promoted to president of Noah Hawley’s Austin-based 26 Keys, overseeing day-to-day operations and strategy; the company — behind Fargo and the sci‑fi series Alien: Earth (returning for season 2 at Hulu/FX) — aims to expand its slate after relocating to Austin.

Hulu’s post‑apocalyptic thriller Paradise — a streamer hit with cited 88% RT — has already been renewed for Season 3 with creator Dan Fogelman confirming production has begun, continuing a fast turnaround strategy that avoids long gaps between seasons.

Brussels sales outfit Best Friend Forever has boarded Abinash Bikram Shah’s Nepalese thriller Elephants in the Fog, a Cannes Un Certain Regard debut that follows a Kinnar matriarch investigating her daughter’s disappearance and is produced with international partners including Les Valseurs and ZDF/Arte.

Ian Tuason's A24-backed Undertone is a single-location, largely single-character horror focused on sound design — shot in the director’s house, starring Nina Kiri, and built around podcast/audio horror techniques inspired by lo-fi recordings.

Jaume Collet‑Serra’s Netflix psychological thriller An Innocent Girl has added Kim Dickens, Paul Sparks and Rob Corddry to a cast headlined by Kerry Washington and James Marsden; Greg Berlanti is producing under his Netflix creative partnership.

Full Moon Features has begun production in Cleveland on Buried Secrets, an indie horror about treasure hunters who unearth a demon in the Lost Catacombs of Bomarzo.

GEMS Vancouver has selected five creators for its Genre Film Lab cohort, a talent development initiative aimed at advancing genre filmmakers in Canada (program details and participant names were announced by Playback Magazine).

Sundance Collab announced the 2026 Cultural Impact Residency fellows and advisors for its six-month program (March–August) — advisors include genre figure Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) alongside Scott Z. Burns, Wanuri Kahiu and Laura Poitras; fellows span documentary and genre-blurring fiction projects, signaling Sundance's continued support for socially rooted and boundary-pushing filmmakers.

Lionsgate and Blumhouse's planned Blair Witch reboot has reportedly found director Dylan Clark (known for horror short Portrait of God) with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele producing; original cast dispute over compensation remains unresolved and the revival could face backlash and diminishing audience appetite.

A24 has released a set video for its Elden Ring adaptation as production prepares to start, signaling active pre-production momentum on the studio’s high-profile videogame-to-series/film project.

Amazon MGM straight‑to‑series ordered Calamities, a Texas-set, character-driven crime thriller from David Weil and Barnstorm (Glen Powell) about a violent drug deal that thrusts a border town into chaos; Barnstorm recently won rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with A24 and is active in horror IP acquisition.

Trade/genre press positions Lee Cronin’s The Mummy as a major genre tentpole ahead of April 17, highlighting Cronin’s visceral tone and Blumhouse/New Line/Warner distribution while framing the project as a serious horror reimagining rather than action spectacle.

Cannes 2026 Official Selection leans on returning auteurs and international cinema as Thierry Fremaux and Iris Knobloch stress the festival’s role amid geopolitical uncertainty; notable highlights include films from Asghar Farhadi, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Lukas Dhont and conversation-sparking titles like Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur.

A new report from Kalison Studios finds many state/provincial film incentives deliver limited local hiring—only ~30% of Oklahoma’s $100M annual production spend goes to in-state wages—while California leads with ~98% local below-the-line spending; the analysis bolsters arguments for targeted subsidy designs and could influence subsidy policy and location decisions by studios.

Iwana Chronis has been promoted to CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund effective May 1; Chronis — previously head of feature film and documentary assessment and former Hubert Bals Fund lead — will steer funding strategy alongside business director George van Breemen.

Yeon Sang‑ho (Train to Busan) returns with Colony, a new infection/zombie horror feature that will premiere at Cannes and has released a first look, marking another high‑profile international zombie title from the director.

Found‑footage scarecrow horror Strawstalker — written/directed by and starring George Henry Horton — follows fame‑hungry content creators in suburban LA and will hit VOD this spring via Indie Rights; Horton leads a cast including Branika Scott, Vincent Ranola, Dallas Steinback, Emily Rafala and Gary Kasper.

Tommy Wirkola’s shark thriller Thrash — written and directed by Wirkola and produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick — hits Netflix April 10; key cast includes Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou, signaling Netflix’s investment in mid-budget genre tentpoles and streamer-first horror-thrillers.

New Blood Interactive and Airdorf Games' pixel-horror compilation FAITH: The Unholy Trinity has launched on PlayStation 5 today, expanding the game's platform availability after prior PC and Switch releases.