Fresh off the success of “Backrooms,” Hollywood has found its next Gen Z phenomenon to bring to screens. Warner Bros. has won a bidding war for the rights to “Siren Head.” And no, the name does not lie. Created by artist Trevor Henderson, this internet-fueled urban legend follows a mysterious predator who has two sirens for a head, as well as a long thin frame.
Now, it will be the basis for a movie from Brian Duffield, who will direct from a screenplay he will write with Zach Cregger. Duffield’s credits include the sci-fi horror film “No One Will Save You” and the upcoming survival thriller “Whalefall,” an adaptation of a bestseller about a scuba diver who gets trapped in the belly of a whale. The movie opens in the fall. Josh Brolin and Austin Abrams star.
Cregger is one of the hottest creative forces in Hollywood right now, having written and directed last summer’s breakout hit, “Weapons,” which went on to win an Oscar for Amy Madigan. He also wrote and directed the well-received horror film “Barbarians.” Next up for Cregger is a reboot of “Resident Evil,” which hits theaters in September and also stars Abrams.
The move comes as Hollywood is on the hunt for IP to attract a growing younger audience to theaters. “Backrooms,” which started as a YouTube sensation, became a hit movie for A24 when it was brought to screens by its 20-year-old director Kane Parsons. Then there’s “Obsession,” another recent horror hit that was created by 26-year-old Curry Barker, who also got his start on YouTube. Recent studies have shown that Gen Z has become Hollywood’s most consistent audience, visiting cinemas more frequently that their millennial cohorts and far outpacing Gen Xers and baby boomers in terms of attendence.
Cregger, Duffield, Roy Lee, Andrew Childs, and Scott Glassgold are producing “Siren Head.” Henderson will executive produce the project.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Warner Bros. had won the rights to “Siren Head.”
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