Getting chased in an asylum shrouded in darkness is scary enough when playing the video game, now get ready to experience the chaos when Outlast hits the big screen.
Bloody Disgusting reports that Lionsgate and Red Barrels have made a deal to adapt the Outlast video game as a film. Lionsgate is known for producing the Saw movies and is crowned one of the few most iconic horror franchises to date. Canadian video game developer, Red Barrels, developed and published the first game back in September 2013 with the sequel released in April 2017 titled Outlast 2. Its latest game, the Outlast Trials, was released earlier this year in March 2024.
Game writer, J. T. Petty, will be responsible for the film’s screenplay. Petty wrote all three of the Outlast games and has experience in directing films such as Hellbenders and Burrowers. He also mentioned that Red Barrels has been pushing the boundaries of horror in games for more than a decade. Petty also stated that turning the Outlast Universe into a movie would be an amazing opportunity to delve deeper into the beloved characters and killers of the game.
Film producer Roy Lee, who is involved in works such as the It remakes and Barbarian, will be producing the film. Lee expressed that the game’s deep lore sets a perfect foundation for crafting a movie that dives deep into the physical and psychological horror elements at the heart of the franchise. He expressed his excitement in bringing the exceptional world of Outlast into a film for both newcomers and diehard fans of the series.
David Chateauneuf, the co-founder and creative director at Red Barrels, explained that older and newer horror films had undeniably impacted the Outlast franchise for years. He stated how having the chance to work on a movie adaptation with true horror icons is a dream, or jokingly, a “nightmare” come true. Earlier on, he also mentioned that he and the rest of Red Barrel are huge fans of Roy Lee’s and Lionsgate’s works.
Film adaptations of video games can be hit-or-miss, but hopefully with Lionsgate helming the film alongside Petty’s involvement once again with the series, Outlast could prove skeptics wrong with an actual great movie.
