ScreamWire | Weekend Recap — Curry Barker lands an 8-figure deal, Backrooms Hits $330M & A24 Defends Its AI Bet (Mon. June 29)
Plus, Blumhouse Atomic Monster finds its Dead by Daylight director, Netflix and Toho revive Human Vapor, Paramount pushes its 2026 genre slate, and Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist: Martyrs firms up.
ScreamWire Daily · Mon. Jun 29 · 67 stories · 61 watchlist hits · 1719 sources
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🔥 The Wire
‘Backrooms’ Streaming Date Nears As Film Hits $330 Million At Box Office
A24’s Backrooms has surged to $330 million worldwide on a $10 million budget; the horror-thriller’s PVOD rollout is eyed for July 7 as it becomes the label’s biggest global hit. — Forbes · Phantasmagoria · Cosmic Book News
A24 defends Google AI partnership after backlash: “We’d rather have a seat at the table”
$75M Google investment and a DeepMind R&D tie-up put A24 inside the AI workflow race; the studio says the partnership is aimed at behind-the-scenes tools, not on-screen outputs. — Screen Daily · IndieWire
Lily James and Companion director Drew Hancock team for horror thriller Seasons
Lily James boards supernatural horror thriller Seasons for Companion director Drew Hancock at Amazon MGM; the genre package is coming together around an original feature play. — JoBlo
‘Pinocchio Unstrung’ Sees Wooden Doll Covered in Flesh and Blood as Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield Teases ‘Kooky, Crazy and Fun’ ‘Avengers’-Style ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’
Fifth entry in Jagged Edge Productions’ Twisted Childhood Universe leans hard into practical effects and public-domain horror; Rhys Frake-Waterfield says Pinocchio Unstrung is the best-received chapter yet and keeps the Poohniverse’s IP pipeline open. Robert Englund voices the Cricket, Richard Brake plays Geppetto, and the film screened at Raindance ahead of wider rollout talks. — Variety
Unhinged: Night School Studio’s Interactive Horror Game Hits Netflix June 30
Netflix drops Night School Studio’s interactive horror title Unhinged on June 30; Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink, and Troy Baker voice the storm-bound survival scenario, extending the streamer’s playable genre push. — HorrorBuzz
Robert Eggers Drops Notable Details About Upcoming ‘Werwulf’ Film
Middle English dialogue, Oxford professor consultation and wolf-dog hybrids shape Robert Eggers' Werwulf; Lily-Rose Depp reteams with Eggers as Focus Features keeps the Christmas 2026 rollout. — Newsweek
‘Forbidden Fruits’ Streaming on Shudder & New Merch Drop!
Forbidden Fruits wraps its theatrical run and lands exclusive on Shudder; Meredith Alloway and Lily Houghton’s mall-set witchy slasher is now being extended with merch collabs from Mise en Scènt and Super Yaki. — Temple of Geek
Conner O’Malley Directing A24 Dark Comedy ‘Schiller Park,’ Produced By Ari Aster’s Square Peg
A24 lines up Conner O’Malley’s feature directing debut on Schiller Park; Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen’s Square Peg produces off casting notices. — The Playlist
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💰 Deals & Development
'Dead by Daylight' Film Adaptation Lands Director Thordur Palsson
Blumhouse-Atomic Monster taps Thordur Palsson to direct the Dead by Daylight adaptation; Jason Blum unveiled the move at the game’s 10th anniversary, with James Wan saying Palsson’s The Damned proved he can sustain the claustrophobic terror the property needs. — Phantasmagoria · JoBlo · Blumhouse Productions
Netflix’s Newest Book Adaptation Could Officially Resurrect the Fantasy Genre on Streaming
Netflix and Universal Global Television locked rights to Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting, a high-fantasy time-loop romance that could give the streamer a new book-to-screen lane. The acquisition lands as Netflix keeps building out genre-adjacent fantasy after cancellations across the category. — Collider
Curry Barker’s Next Film Lands at Universal, Blumhouse Atomic Monster (Exclusive)
Curry Barker has closed a rich eight-figure deal with Universal Film Group and Blumhouse Atomic Monster for his third film, an original horror idea he will write, produce and direct. The project, bought from a pitch to Universal brass, stays in the Universal family after Obsession. — Blumhouse Productions
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📈 Market & Business
DGA Sues MGM Over ‘Sweetheart’ Licensing Deal Made to Skew Pension Payments
DGA sues MGM over an alleged below-market Epix/MGM+ licensing scheme that cut reported revenue and pension contributions; suit cites $540,426 in underreported payments and seeks unpaid contributions plus interest. — Yahoo
UK-Ireland box office preview: Warner Bros’ ‘Supergirl’ takes on Paramount’s ’Jackass: Best And Last’
639 UK and Ireland sites for Warner Bros’ Supergirl leads the weekend rollout, while Paramount’s Jackass: Best And Last bows in 545 venues and Trinity CineAsia’s Dear You arrives on the back of a $272.3m global run. The preview also flags event releases and holdovers shaping the local theatrical frame, including Ghost in the Shell and Disney’s Toy Story 5. — Screen Daily
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🎭 Festivals & Markets
Five world premiere features from TRIBECA 2026
Tribeca 2026’s world premieres include IX XI, Sean Wilsey’s documentary for the festival’s 25th edition, which gathers New Yorkers’ recollections of 9/11 through first-person accounts, archival footage and interviews with figures including Griffin Dunne and Colin Moynihan. — Moviejawn
Paramount celebrates expanded slate at CineEurope, shows ‘Ebenezer’, ‘Children Of Blood And Bone’ footage
Paramount says its 2026 theatrical rollout climbs to 15 films; Ti West’s Ebenezer, a new Paranormal Activity, a fresh Longlegs and Parker Finn’s Possession update headline the studio’s genre push. The slate also spotlights Children of Blood and Bone and A Place in Hell, with Mark Viane framing the lineup as a return to scale under David Ellison. — Screen Daily
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🌍 International
Human Vapor: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi anchor Netflix’s bold sci-fi thriller reboot
Netflix and Toho Studios team on Yeon Sang-ho’s reboot of Ishiro Honda’s 1960 sci-fi classic, led by Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose and Kento Hayashi. The Tokyo-set thriller turns a shape-shifting serial killer into a violent body-horror event, marking the streamer’s first collaboration with Toho. — South China Morning Post
Peter Bebjak readies the mystery thriller miniseries Becoming Kafka - Production / Funding - Czech Republic/Slovakia
1908 Prague-set premise: bloodstained Franz Kafka wakes as the prime suspect in a ritual murder, melding historical fiction, existential dread and crime storytelling. — Cineuropa
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🤖 AI & Technology
Luca Guadagnino Gives Hope For ‘Artificial’ Release, Worries AI Is “Completely Changing” The World: “More Than Just Disturbing”
Amazon MGM has pulled Artificial from its release slate, pushing the Sam Altman drama into the market as distributors circle; Guadagnino is now framing the film as an AI-era warning after the project’s San Francisco shoot and a reported $50 billion OpenAI investment at Amazon. — Deadline · AV Club
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✂️ Noteworthy
Mike Flanagan’s ‘Exorcist’ Reboot Title Seemingly Confirmed as ‘Exorcist: Martyrs’
March 12, 2027 release is now set for Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist: Martyrs; Scarlett Johansson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Diane Lane, Noah Jupe, Laurence Fishburne, Sasha Calle and John Leguizamo board the Universal/Blumhouse reboot. — World of Reel
‘Monster Maker’ Doc To Profile Legendary Stan Winston, Special Effects Master Behind ‘Alien,’ ‘Predator,’ ‘Terminator,’ ‘Jurassic Park’ & More
Production is underway on Monster Maker, a Stan Winston feature doc from Dogwoof, Strange Bird, Kennedy/Marshall and Whisper; the film lines up Jeff Goldblum plus new interviews from James Cameron, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. — Deadline
Emraan Hashmi Stars in Musical-Horror Film 'Rooh' for 2027
Emraan Hashmi boards the musical-horror feature Rooh for a 2027 theatrical bow in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu; Mayank Sharma directs and co-writes with Vishal Kapoor for Vicked Films Productions. The project blends contemporary horror, music and supernatural elements, keeping Hashmi anchored to the genre lane that built his screen identity. — The News Mill
Prime Video Reveals Young Stars of German-Language Original Series ‘Superior,’ Set in the World of Luxury Hotels (EXCLUSIVE)
Prime Video’s German-language original Superior is in production in Bavaria and Switzerland; the six-part hotel-school murder mystery has locked its young cast and is backed by GMPF and FFF support. Zodiac Pictures and MMC Zodiac are producing the series, which mixes elite-campus intrigue with deadly consequences. — Variety
Anirudh Pisharody Set to Star in Greek Mythology Thriller ‘Chronos’
Anirudh Pisharody leads Chronos, a Greek-mythology thriller that shot in Greece with Tongayi Chirisa, Eleni Sotiropoulou and Lisa Morrell. Gianinni Semedo Moreira directs the indie feature around a father racing to Olympus before the gods erase his family. — Dread Central
'Leviticus' Director Adrian Chiarella and Star Joe Bird on the Power of Queer Horror
Adrian Chiarella’s debut feature Leviticus, starring Joe Bird and Thrash’s Stacy Clausen, was acquired by Neon after Sundance and is now headed for a U.S. wide release. The film follows two boys in a homophobic religious town who are hunted by a shape-shifting entity that takes the form of who they desire most. — Phantasmagoria
Taylor Sheridan's 4-Part Crime Thriller Is Officially One of the Biggest Shows on Streaming
Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King has surged to No. 10 on Paramount+’s global series chart ahead of Season 4, which is expected in fall 2026. Starring Sylvester Stallone, the crime series has three seasons streaming now. — MovieWeb
Will There Be ‘From’ Season 5? Everything We Know So Far
MGM+ locks From for a fifth and final season, with production slated to start in Halifax later this year and a 2027 premiere set to close out the mystery. — Epicstream
Australian Survival-Horror “Cruel Hands’ heads toTheaters And Digital
July 24, 2026 theatrical and digital rollout for Al Kalyak’s Australia-set survival horror; Mavournee Hazel, Josh McConville and Diesel La Torraca star in the bushfire escape thriller. — PopHorror
Mark Jenkin on His Atmospheric Sci-Fi Ghost Ship Horror 'Rose of Nevada'
Mark Jenkin’s third feature, Rose of Nevada, premiered at Venice last September and held a 100% approval rating as of June 17; George MacKay and Callum Turner lead the sci-fi ghost ship story about a missing Cornish fishing boat that returns after 30 years. — Phantasmagoria
Why 'Obsession' Has Finally Given Us a Successor to 'Hereditary'
Curry Barker’s Obsession premiered at TIFF, drew a $15 million Focus Features buy, and is tracking past $100 million worldwide on a $750,000 budget; the 26-year-old YouTube-horror filmmaker has already landed a second Blumhouse/Focus film and A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot. — Phantasmagoria
Sarah Michelle Gellar to Play a Lovestruck Grim Reaper in Supernatural Romance 'Thud'
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Rudy Pankow will star in Thud as a Grim Reaper and the Devil who fall into a meet-cute at a three-day destination wedding; Mali Elfman directs from Noga Pnueli’s script, with Radio Silence’s Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin exec producing. — Phantasmagoria
Coming Soon To Digital And On Demand: ‘Kill Trip’
Kristian McKay’s Kill Trip lands on digital and on-demand July 17; the horror pic stars Stelio Savante, Corin Nemec and Samaire Armstrong, with festivalgoers’ ride from hell turning into a survival body count. — PopHorror
Mockbuster: Behind-the-Scenes at The Asylum Documentary Hits Digital July 27
Miracle Media lines up Mockbuster for digital on July 27; Anthony Frith’s doc goes inside The Asylum’s low-budget genre factory and features Eric Roberts, Danny Philippou, Michael Paré, Paul Bales, David Latt, and David Rimawi. — HorrorBuzz
Coming Later This Year: ‘THE POOLS’
Christmas Day 2026 theatrical slot set for The Pools, a liminal-space creature horror feature debut from veteran producers Galen Christy and Sasha Yelaun; Rebel Raider Media and Grytt Picture Shows produce. — PopHorror
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🎬 Trailers & Teasers
Emmy Rossum Hunts a Killer in First Trailer for Hulu Series Furious
Hulu’s serial-killer remake of Black Widow launches this summer; Emmy Rossum boards as FBI agent Alice Black opposite Lola Petticrew, with Liz Meriwether EPing. — The Movie Blog
New Trailer Has Dropped For Sci-Fi Film: ‘THE OUTER THREAT’
VOD and digital rollout lands July 10, 2026 for William Woods’ sci-fi thriller The Outer Threat; Constance Wu, Mark O’Brien and William Fichtner star. — PopHorror
Spanish Dracula serves up more horror with the trailer for Los Vampires
Fantasia bows Los Vampires next month; the mystery horror reframes the making of the Spanish Dracula and leans into Universal Monsters lore. — Flickering Myth
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🎮 Gaming & Comics
'Invader Zim' Publishing Rights Acquired by BOOM! Studios, Who Promises Classic Stories and New Original Content
BOOM! Studios grabs Invader Zim publishing rights and plans fresh collections plus new original comics later this year; creative teams and formats roll out in coming months. — NickALive!
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📺 Broadcast & Streaming
Paranormal Investigations Found-Footage Horror Comedy Hits Digital July 24
Raymond Wallace’s found-footage horror comedy lands July 24 on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home; Jamie Bernadette leads a paranormal crew whose haunted shoot turns into a body-count mystery. — HorrorBuzz
MGM+ July 2026 Schedule Announced
MGM+ fills July with The Westies plus genre library titles Cold Storage, Is God Is and The Silence of the Lambs; the Amazon-owned service is leaning on crime and horror-thriller programming for the month. — Vital Thrills
Black Box trailer: Final Destination 5 director puts aliens on a plane this July
Black Box lands a July VOD window, with the supernatural sci-fi horror pic using the trailer drop to tee up digital release. — JoBlo
Ceremony TV, All The Micro-docs About Corruption, Greed, And True Crime You Need, Free on YouTube
1.2 million views in 45 days for Ceremony TV’s free YouTube slate; the new channel is building 7-to-10-minute investigative docu-series around sport, crime and power, with Dirty Game: Football at the Edge leading the push. — ScreenAnarchy
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ScreamWire Daily · 1719 sources · 1736 scanned