Movies
San Diego Comic-Con ’11: Dark Horse and Their Upcoming Projects
It’s been three years since Dark Horse Entertainment’s last film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, arrived in theaters. But the studio responsible for The Mask and 30 Days of Night has no shortage of projects in development. Senior VP Keith Goldberg offered Variety an update on their upcoming slate.
One of the most disappointing bits of news is that The Goon is unfortunately STILL seeking financing, although the “Ark” project sounds pretty badass.
Expect plenty more when Comic-Con gets underway tomorrow evening.
R.I.P.D.: Short for “Rest in Peace Department,” director Robert Schwentke’s comicbook adaptation follows a recently slain police officer (Ryan Reynolds) who joins a group of undead cops to uncover the identity of his murderer. The Universal picture begins shooting in Boston in September, and co-stars Jeff Bridges.
Emily the Strange: The story of this iconic oddball is being developed by producer Mike Richardson. Chloe Moretz, who played “Hit Girl” in “Kick-Ass,” signed on for the lead role after meeting creator Rob Regan at last year’s Comic-Con.
Beasts of Burden: Based on Evan Dorkin’s comic of the same name, this animated adventure follows a group of animals that fight supernatural forces. Darren Lemke (“Shrek Forever After,” “Jack the Giant Killer”) has been tapped to write the screenplay.
The Strange Case of Hyde: After enlisting Cole Haddon to write a screenplay combining the Jekyll and Hyde mythology with the story of Jack the Ripper, Dark Horse is looking for directors to bring the material to life.
Ark: Mark Verheiden (“The Mask,” “Falling Skies”) is writing this sci-fi story for Sony, about an alien ship that crashes on Earth loaded with two-by-two pairs of extraterrestrial species.
Rex Mundi: Johnny Depp is attached to produce and star in pic reimagining the quest for the Holy Grail as a murder mystery. “Tron: Legacy” duo Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal are working on the script.
3 Story: Warner Bros. is set to distribute Dustin Lance Black’s adaptation of the comicbook about a man with a medical condition that makes him three stories tall.
Tarzan: Dark Horse is developing two possible updates of the jungle hero for Warner Bros. The first is being written by Adam Cozad, while “Footloose” helmer Craig Brewer is drafting a separate script with the intent of directing it himself.
The Goon: Dark Horse’s long-gestating collaboration with David Fincher is still looking for financing. Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti are still attached to provide the voices of the Goon and his right-hand man Franky.
chickenhare: Sony Pictures Animation plans to adapt Chris Grine’s graphic novel, about a rare animal — half chicken, half rabbit — trying to avoid a crazed taxidermist.
Umbrella Academy: This dark adventure follows a group of retired superheroes who reunite after the death of their mentor. While no director has been announced, Mark Bomback (“Unstoppable”) is writing.
Criminal Macabre: A contempo supernatural noir, not unlike “Constantine” or “Dylan Dog,” this project is in development with an unspecified new writer, but no director.
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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