ScreamWire Daily

$50M global on a $4M budget; Markiplier self-released the indie horror Iron Lung and will debut a YouTube-exclusive PVOD on May 31 via purchase on YouTube; film is based on David Szymanski’s game and proved platform-to-theater direct-push viability for creator-driven genre IP.

K2 Pictures closed a $33M film fund (JPY5BN) and secured $67M in debt for $100M total financing to undercut Japan’s production committee model and enable international co-productions; slate additions include Takashi Miike’s Kabuki documentary and a US–Mexico co‑produced horror titled Mexican Horror.

Yami International Film Festival launches Nov 20–26 in Shibuya as a new Tokyo horror/dark-genre platform with feature and short competitions, cash prizes, and Wada Arihiro programming; festival is organized by Yami Inc., marking the company’s formal expansion from AI/gaming experiences into film exhibition and talent discovery.

$16.1M opening for Focus Features’ TIFF breakout horror Obsession; acquired out of Toronto for a reported $15M and produced on a reported $1M budget, positioning it as a high-ROI wide-release horror hit as Michael/biopic box office dominance continues to drive big holiday grosses.

Wild Duck Productions acquired Spanish theatrical rights to Bhargav Saikia’s folk-horror Bokshi for a Halloween release following a strong festival run; Spanish dubbing begins next week and filmmakers are fielding buyer interest across Southeast Asia, North America, the U.K. and Europe.

Highland Film Group closed a wide slate of international deals on shark thriller The Black Demon: Atlantis while production shoots in Colombia; film stars Jack Kesy, is co‑written and co‑directed by Carmen Cabana, and received a 35% Colombian CINA tax incentive with Highland co‑financing alongside Mucho Mas Media.

Sam Raimi is directing Lionsgate’s remake of the 1978 puppet horror Magic with Mark Swift and Damian Shannon writing and Roy Lee producing, moving Raimi from producer to director on a cultivated cult-IP reboot.

Producers have packaged Claire Denis’ next film, The Soap Maker, as a cannibal crime thriller based on Mauro Bolognini’s 1977 Gran Bollito and the diaries of real-life killer Leonarda Cianciulli; Denis is in prep and producers are positioning the tone alongside Silence of the Lambs, Se7en and Get Out.

Warner Bros. is rebooting Westworld as a feature film separate from the HBO series, signaling the studio's intent to rework the IP for theatrical audiences while leaving the original series continuity behind.

Park Chan-wook awarded the Commandeur rank of France's Order of Arts and Letters at Cannes; recognition cites his global impact via films including Oldboy, The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave and underscores rising international stature of Korean genre auteurs.

Egyptian-Palestinian filmmaker Tarek Al Arian is developing an English-language drama about Marguerite Alibert for France/UK/Egypt shoots and is also prepping a Sons of Rizk prequel returning to the crime-family origins; he’s concurrently developing a psychological horror Altahwida about a father denying his daughter’s death.

Marion Le Corroller's Species is a body‑horror entry at Cannes delivering Cronenberg-adjacent practical effects and gore; the film positions Le Corroller as a genre director to watch on the festival market.

Raven Banner acquired North American (or select) rights to Fantasia premiere Foreigner; genre sales play strengthens Raven Banner’s slate-building at genre festivals and boosts the film’s market visibility ahead of festival-to-AFM sales window.

Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen selected nine projects for its 2026 labs—five in development and four in First Cut—including genre-linked titles and collaborations with Slovenia’s Next Wave Genre Lab; workshops run July and September with industry pitch days in December to connect projects to distributors.

HEADLIGHTS; CJ Leede's third novel blends supernatural, true-crime, and splatterpunk with an FBI protagonist investigating people found along Denver highways wearing other victims' skin; lands in bookstores June 9 and cements Leede as a growing modern horror voice.

Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo board English‑language high‑concept thriller The Cliff starring Nora Arnezeder; shooting slated for this summer from Romain Serir’s script with Phase 4 and Place du Marché producing and The Pool Films positioned as a one‑stop English‑language genre sales and production partner.

James Cameron aims to produce Avatar 4 and 5 'in half the time for two-thirds of the cost' by adopting new production technologies; both films remain dated for December 2029 and December 2031 while creative and efficiency planning continues.

László Nemes returned to Cannes with Moulin, a WWII competition film focusing on Jean Moulin’s final 10 days and his confrontation with Klaus Barbie, and confirmed an upcoming English-language Cormac McCarthy adaptation Outer Dark starring Jacob Elordi and Lily-Rose Depp.

Guillaume Canet’s Karma is a 149-minute missing-person thriller that pivots into a chilling cult drama; Marion Cotillard headlines as Jeanne returning to a claustrophobic religious commune where Denis Ménochet’s Marc rules through psychological manipulation and long-buried abuses escalate the stakes.

Manuela Martelli’s The Meltdown is a winter-set Chilean slow-burn crime thriller centered on a child’s perspective of a disappearance; atmospheric cinematography and a chilling score make it a strong festival play for genre programmers seeking female-driven, regional thrillers.