ScreamWire Daily

Sony Pictures’ FY operating income fell 11% to $687M after impairment from shuttering Pixomondo, while underlying profit rose; motion picture revenue slid with anime and animation (Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man) driving top performers and Sony shifting VFX focus to Canada for incentives.

A24's Backrooms, produced for under $10M and directed by 23-year-old Kane Parsons from his viral short, is tracking $25M–$30M opening domestically despite mixed early festival reactions at Beyond Fest; the film features Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, and counts Shawn Levy and James Wan among producers.

Netflix greenlights Florida, a mini-series sequel to Norwegian disaster hit La Palma, continuing the franchise’s large-scale disaster scope with writer Lars Gudmestad and director Cecilie Mosli attached and production by Fantefilm to shift the action to a Norwegian community in the U.S.

Studiocanal; landed option and will fully finance Freida McFadden’s The Divorce with Working Title attached as co‑producer; Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin overseeing and Studiocanal Stories to handle global distribution across its territories.

Vertical Entertainment schedules Pendulum for a January 1, 2027 theatrical release; Darren Aronofsky produces and Mark Heyman makes his feature directing debut on a horror script he wrote.

RLJE Films and Shudder acquired Mickey Keating’s Offseason for distribution; Keating’s horror title now has a confirmed home on the genre streamer/label, signaling continued Shudder/RLJE investment in indie horror acquisitions.

A24 boards Ari Aster's next feature Scapegoat with Scarlett Johansson attached to star and a late-2026 production start planned; Aster finished the script and will direct and produce under Square Peg with Lars Knudsen, positioning the project as a high-profile play for commercial rebound after Aster's recent box-office misses.

UK indie Iron Ribbon boards Sarah Gadon and Tom Hughes; Jarek Marszewski directing Adam Howes' screenplay on a Jazz Age Paris true-crime mercy-killing trial with principal photography eyed for late 2026 and producers set to shop at the Cannes market.

Studiocanal has optioned Freida McFadden’s upcoming novel The Divorce after McFadden’s The Housemaid became a major box-office and publishing success; the new book—dark domestic thriller territory—will be adapted to film following competitive interest in the author’s catalogue.

Viva Pictures sets Pinocchio Unstrung for North American theatrical release July 24; Poohniverse slasher reimagines the public-domain fable inside an elite London prep school and aims for summer box office.

Rome-based Coccinelle Film Sales acquired international sales rights to Venice Golden Lion-winner Milcho Manchevski’s new feature Sister Brother Manhole Cover; the North Macedonia-set darkly humorous drama stars Sara Klimoska, Filip Trajkovic and Sonja Mihajlova and is a multi-country co-production supported by several national film agencies.

Bankside Films; acquired worldwide sales rights to Terry George’s Ceasefire and will introduce the film to buyers in Cannes; the cast includes Chris O’Dowd, Ciarán Hinds, Jane Fonda, John C. Reilly and Tom Hollander and production is set to shoot in Ireland later this year.

Charlize Theron and Baltasar Kormákur reteam on action thriller Six Clean Kills at Universal; Theron will produce via Secret Menu and is eyed to star, Stan Parish is scripting from his unpublished novel and Kormákur will produce through Blueeyes.

A24/Chernin/21 Laps/Atomic Monster’s Backrooms is tracking near a $20M domestic opening for Memorial Day weekend; production cost reported under $10M (financed by Chernin); film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass and adapts the Kane Pixels Backrooms IP with director Kate Parsons.

Send Help, Sam Raimi’s January surprise horror-comedy, is now streaming on Hulu after a $94M worldwide run on a roughly $40M budget; the film boosted Raimi’s profile in modern genre box office and showcased a high-performing original horror comedy driven by Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien.

Starz; terminated its Pay-2 output deal with Universal to accelerate a path to profitability and will instead acquire titles at more favorable economics; Q1 results show revenue drop to $306.9M, operating loss -$152.8M and $625.1M total debt.

Sony posted ¥3 trillion ($19.4B) in quarterly revenue with PlayStation and hardware driving results while Sony Pictures margins lagged; SPE is restructuring around high-growth IP (PlayStation, Crunchyroll, game-show franchises) and cut Pixomondo, triggering hundreds of layoffs.

An open letter signed by 4,500+ European filmmakers and actors calls on the EU to preserve and prioritise the Creative Europe Media programme when it transitions to AgoraEU in 2028; signatories highlight declining European reach, AI risks and urge legislators to ringfence film/TV funding as Parliament weighs AgoraEU now.

The Golden Globes updated eligibility rules to require disclosure of generative AI use and to allow performances from non-English language and independent films (under $10M) to be submitted for individual acting categories without a picture submission; performances substantially generated by AI are ineligible and submissions must show credited humans remain primary authors.

Screen published a comprehensive guide to Cannes 2026’s Official Selection and parallel sections, spotlighting auteur competition titles and genre entries across Competition, Un Certain Regard and Midnight Screenings including Na Hong-jin’s Hope, Zachary Wigon’s Victorian Psycho and Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony in Midnight.

Director Zach Cregger cites Resident Evil 4 as a major creative influence on the new film's tone and design; the piece maps game-to-film inspiration rather than business details.

Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller argue industry fear of retribution is suppressing opposition to the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger; op‑ed highlights advertiser pullbacks and media hesitancy as evidence the deal already chills creator speech and could reduce opportunities across the ecosystem.

4.02 million euros allocated by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Film and Audiovisual Centre across 55 film projects in its 3rd 2025 session; slate-level funding broadens Belgium's production pipeline and creates more financing opportunities for indie features and genre work seeking European support.

Trackdown promotes Elaine Beckett to managing director, succeeding founder Geoff Watson who moves to an executive chair; Sydney post house with a major orchestral scoring stage lists credits including Furiosa, Mortal Kombat II and NCIS Sydney and aims to expand its global footprint under Beckett's leadership.

Golden Globes; new eligibility rules permit limited generative AI use provided human creative direction and authorship remain primary; submissions must include AI disclosures and performances substantially generated by AI are ineligible, with the Eligibility Committee empowered to request supporting materials.

Class‑action litigation naming Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, backed by major publishers and authors including Hachette, Macmillan and Scott Turow, alleges pirated copyrighted works were used to train Llama and calls out an 'infinite substitution machine' risk; a ruling against Meta would reshape how studios and writers protect voices and deploy AI across script and post workflows.

Marvel unveils the Midnight Universe, a horror-leaning continuity positioned as a darker, supernatural counterpoint to its mainline continuity; project signals Marvel exploring sustained horror IP plays across comics and potential transmedia extensions.

Fantastic Pavilion launches Vertical Cinema Cannes 2026, a Marché du Film showcase of 28 vertical 9:16 genre projects from 17 countries that spotlights micro-horror, sci-fi, fantasy and thriller works and signals accelerating industry acceptance of vertical storytelling, including entries by Lex Ortega and Carlos Meléndez and two Chinese IP-based projects.

Dark Star Pictures acquires North American rights to Brandon Daley’s crypto-horror feature $POSITIONS ahead of its Fantasia premiere and plans an early-2026 theatrical release; outlet debuts an exclusive clip as festival momentum builds.

Blumhouse partner Obsession hits wide May 15; production designer Vivian Gray (Memphis) created the film's signature One Wish Willow; film was made for under $1M, acquired for $15M by Focus Features at TIFF and partnered with Blumhouse for distribution and marketing.

Mimi Cave is directing Pumping Black, a psychological sports thriller starring Natalie Portman and Jonathan Bailey with a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels; international sales will launch at Cannes and filming is scheduled to begin this fall.

Fantaspoa wrapped its 19-day edition with 24 world premieres and reported attendance gains; the festival received the Mlis Silver Award enabling a film access to Sitges' competition for the first time, with Paul Urkijo taking that new European-features distinction.

Charades is taking ten Cannes-selected titles to international buyers ahead of the market; sales push packages multiple festival titles, including genre fare, to overseas distributors.

Puppet Combo; indie studio launching a new retro-styled The Backrooms horror game on consoles May 14 with teaser trailer and wish list live, leveraging popular liminal-IP momentum and low-fi nostalgia to target horror game audiences.

Stjepan Šejić revives his cosmic horror series Death Vigil with a new arc from Image Comics and Top Cow debuting August 5, 2026; revival marks a return for the supernatural franchise to comic shelves and trade channels.

$10M budget; Pacifico positions itself as the biggest Spanish-language sci-fi theatrical ever made and is drawing top-tier buyers ahead of Cannes market screenings; Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks produces with heavy practical/VFX work from director Gonzalo Gutiérrez.

Screen Australia and XYZ backed Natalie Erika James’ body-horror Saccharine; filmed in Melbourne with production investment from IPR.VC and Stan and VicScreen support; Maslow Entertainment secured theatrical ANZ distribution and Stan will launch it as a Stan Original Film after its Sydney Film Festival premiere.

Pre-sold to 124 regions ahead of its Cannes Midnight Screenings slot; Korean zombie thriller Colony boards Jun Ji‑hyun, Koo Kyo‑hwan, Ji Chang‑wook and Go Soo; Yeon Sang‑ho co-wrote the screenplay and the film lands in Korea May 21 with a US theatrical bow set for August 28, 2026.

Spanish-language sci-fi horror Pacifico drops a teaser showing stranded travelers on a Pacific island confronting an ancient evil; film positions humanity as the real alien in a survival-horror adventure.

Green-band trailer for Evil Dead Burn contains footage that appears to reconnect Burn to Jessica from Evil Dead Rise’s prologue; suggests the franchise may be shifting from standalone entries toward an interconnected roadmap that could culminate in larger crossovers.

A24's Backrooms; early critical reactions unite behind Kane Parsons' feature debut as a claustrophobic, concept-driven horror with standout performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve; opens May 29, 2026 and positions Parsons as a director to watch in the genre.

Germany’s national film fund allocated €2.5m to seven projects, including €600,000 each for Jan Ole Gerster’s German Angst and Sebastian Schipper’s Toter Mann; funding is non-repayable and the session also launched a Netflix-backed East German Perspectives initiative offering grants and training for emerging teams.

Paramount declined a developer extension and Paranormal Activity: Threshold is canceled; Brian Clarke and DreadXP amicably parted ways, developer says he won’t rush a sub‑par release and will return to indie horror projects.

Lionsgate sets Fall 2 for wide theatrical on August 7; new still features Harriet Slater and confirms Michael and Peter Spierig directing with Scott Mann and original writers contributing to the sequel’s survival-thriller continuation.

Two Miami‑area deputies filed a defamation lawsuit over Netflix’s The Rip, alleging Artists Equity’s dramatization damaged their reputations; suit filed in Coral Gables cites portrayal of corrupt officers tied to a 2016 raid that seized more than $20 million.

Netflix package: untitled Joseph Gordon‑Levitt AI thriller boards Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels, Joel Edgerton, Caleb McLaughlin and Nnamdi Asomugha; T‑Street (Rian Johnson/Ram Bergman) produces; filming set to begin May 4, 2026 in Belgrade with Montenegro shoots and a planned 2027 wrap, marking Netflix’s continued investment in prestige AI‑centered genre features.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will direct and co-write an untitled Netflix AI thriller produced by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street; Caleb McLaughlin joins a cast that includes Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels, Joel Edgerton and Nnamdi Asomugha, with production expected to begin this summer.

Shudder/AMC+ release Whistle; Corin Hardy directs a teen-focused supernatural curse picture built around an Aztec death whistle; strong cast includes Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Percy Hynes White and Michelle Fairley, but reviewer notes a thin third act.

NACON Connect; publisher previewed new Dracula and World of Darkness titles plus footage for Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish, expanding publisher-backed gothic and tabletop-to-video-game horror pipelines aimed at genre fans.

Tubi’s May 2026 slate foregrounds a mix of catalog genre titles and originals; highlights include Tubi Originals The Battle for Castle Itter, Destination World Cup 2026 and a substantial roster of horror titles streaming this month such as Hereditary, Silent Hill, Don’t Breathe and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

BOOM! Studios' horror anthology Hello Darkness returns with Issue #22 this summer; new installment features time loops, biker gangs and 'Vampyrates', extending a long-running genre comics IP with continued publisher support.

Affection, written and directed by BT Meza and starring Jessica Rothe and Joseph Cross, mixes mad-scientist sci-fi with time-loop horror; the 90-minute film opens in select theaters May 8 and centers on a woman whose memory resets into a cyclical nightmare.

Ian Nathan's five-hour documentary The Thing Expanded delivers an exhaustive, scene-by-scene deep dive with interviews featuring Kurt Russell, Keith David, John Carpenter and key effects artists, celebrating Rob Bottin-era creature work and the film’s reevaluation.

Jimmy Drain’s satanic cult thriller The Dead Rose begins principal photography in LA and Denver with Frank Stallone, Eric Roberts and Andrew Divoff attached to star; production start signals the project moving into active shoot and casting phase.

Allison Williams and Michelle Randolph board HOMEWRECKER, a new sci‑fi thriller from Xavier Gens that’s being pitched in tone like 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, signaling another mid‑budget high‑concept genre entry.

Netflix’s thriller series Rabbit, Rabbit is seeking to film a scene on a Southampton Township road and prompted local officials to introduce a filmmaking ordinance requiring permits; the MRC production starring Adam Driver, Regina Hall, Odessa Young and Will Poulter is already filming in New Jersey.

Joseph Cross discusses Affection, its memory-reset horror premise, and working opposite Jessica Rothe while promoting the film ahead of its May 8, 2026 limited theatrical release; interview touches on themes and the actor’s genre fandom.

Netflix; Annecy showcase reveals major animation slate including a world‑exclusive preview of Jason Reitman/Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters series, Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn (2026), Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory (2027) and anime slate highlights; festival appearances signal streamer’s continued animation spending and franchise push with Sony/Skydance partners.