A few years after it was first announced in development, the movie adaptation of a hithorrorvideo game is gearing up to get underway. The video game adaptation genre has been on an upward swing over the past five years thanks to the likes oftheSonic the Hedgehogmovie franchise, the animatedSuper Mario Bros. Movieand Prime Video’sFalloutall proving to be mammoth successes for their respective studios. This has led to many studios aiming to get in on the trend, with everything fromIt Takes TwotoStreet Fighterhaving adaptations in the works.
One of the most popular subsections of the video game adaptation world is that of the horror genre. Milla Jovovich’sResident Evilfranchise is arguably one of the earliest examples of such success, but there’s been an uptick in horror adaptations in recent years,particularly Blumhouse’s record-settingFive Nights at Freddy’smovie, which has a sequel on the way. Sony has also just released theirUntil Dawnmovie, while adaptations ofOutlastandBendy and the Ink Machineare in development, as is one based on a viral sensation.
The Mortuary Assistant Movie Has Cast Its First Two Stars
The Project Was First Announced In Late 2022
Publisher DreadXP and its parent company Epic Pictures Group previously announced their plans to develop an adaptation ofThe Mortuary Assistantin 2022, with Jeremiah Kipp tapped to write and direct the project. The horror game put players in the shoes of Rebecca Owens, a young woman starting her titular new job at a small-town mortuary in 1998 Connecticut, though while working an emergency night shift, she is tormented by a demon attempting to possess her. Though having garnered mixed reviews,The Mortuary Assistantbecame a viral sensationthanks to Twitch and YouTube gamers.
Now,Deadlinehas brought word thatThe Mortuary Assistantmovie has cast Willa Holland and Paul Sparks. The former, well-known for her role as Thea Queen in the Arrowverse, is set to play game protagonist Rebecca Owens, while the latter, known for everything fromHouse of CardstoPhysical, will play the ominous mortuary owner, Raymond Delver. Filming is currently underway on the movie in Missouri, with sources describing it as “a new chapter in the story that will expand on the game’s world and mythology, delving deeper into the lore of the demonic entities plaguing River Fields”.
Kipp and Clarke also released statements to the publication regardingThe Mortuary Assistant’s development progress,with the writer/director assuring the movie will consist of “character-driven storytelling within a disturbing horror space”, while the game’s creator praised Kipp, Epic Pictures and the stars for “adding their own unique cinematic flair” to the game. See both statements below:
Jeremiah Kipp: Brian Clarke and I respond to character-driven storytelling within a disturbing horror space. Because his influences have been largely cinematic, the whole process has organically felt like an expansion of his unique gameplay. We’ve captured the atmosphere of singular dread that players responded to so powerfully – this movie will be scary as hell.
Brian Clarke: Seeing The Mortuary Assistant evolve over the years from a small prototype to a full feature film is beyond anything I could have imagined as a solo developer. Jeremiah Kipp is an insanely skilled director, and it has been one of the highlights of my life working with him. Jeremiah and the entire team at Epic Pictures have done an amazing job capturing the spirit of the game while adding their own unique cinematic flair. It is an honor to see Willa and Paul bring these characters to life along with the rest of the film crew. I feel extremely fortunate and can’t wait for fans to see The Mortuary Assistant expand into new territory.
What This Means For The Mortuary Assistant Movie
While there’s still a lengthy enough road ahead for the film between production, post-production and distribution,The Mortuary Assistantbuilding its cast and getting cameras rolling is a promising sign of its progress. Depending on how large of a production Kipp and his creative team are aiming for,filming should wrap before summer’s end, and potentially put the movie on screens for audiences by Summer 2026.
One of the more interesting takeaways from the latest update is the tease thatThe Mortuary Assistantmovie will not just be an adaptation of the game, butrather a new chapter in the source material’s universe, thus opening the door for Epic and Kipp to build a franchise out of it if it’s successful. TheFive Nights at Freddy’smovie, its upcoming sequel and even therecently releasedMinecraft Moviehave all proven that viral games can bring audiences to the theater, while also building their own universes from their games.
ConsideringThe Mortuary Assistantgame doesn’t technically have a conclusive ending, but instead one that leaves the door open for a sequel or spinoff to it, Kipp and the film’s team can take a similar approach. Having Clarke’s vote of confidence and involvement in the film could go a long way to selling fans of the game on the adaptation and help build out further stories.
