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Dead by Daylight
The major scream.
The live-action film adaptation of *Dead by Daylight* has secured Thordur Palsson as its director.
In 2023, it was revealed that Blumhouse—the horror-focused film studio behind hits like *Paranormal Activity*, *Sinister*, *Insidious*, and *Get Out*—was joining the ranks of companies adapting video games for the big screen by turning *Dead by Daylight* into a movie.
Now, during this weekend's *Dead by Daylight* 10th anniversary livestream, it was announced that Thordur Palsson will take on the director's role. Icelandic filmmaker Palsson is recognized for *The Valhalla Murders*, an eight-episode police procedural series on Netflix, and he also directed the folk horror film *The Damned*.
Palsson was joined by Blumhouse founder Jason Blum and the film's producer Stephen Mulrooney (who also works at *Dead by Daylight* studio Behaviour) to share the news of his hiring. Palsson mentioned he first encountered *Dead by Daylight* during the Covid-19 pandemic, when his roommate was playing it. The director noted he could sense the "dread" emanating from the screen and praised how "cinematic" the experience felt. He soon started playing himself and is now eager to adapt *Dead by Daylight* into a film.
"For me, the main thing is capturing the feeling of playing *Dead by Daylight*," Palsson said during the broadcast. "I want to capture the feeling of looking over your shoulder. I want to capture the dread, the tension, the fear of what's waiting for you in The Fog. I love horror that stays with you after it's over, and that's the cinematic experience we want to bring to the big screen for you guys."
Blum added that the *Dead by Daylight* film is being created for the game's fans. "If anyone else happens to like it, that's fine. But, we are making it for you guys," he told the audience. "We hope this is one of many, many more to come." Regarding the release date, Blum said progress may have taken longer than anticipated, but things are "going to speed up right about now," with filming set to begin in 2027. Several of the game's iconic locations will also appear in the film, including The MacMillan Estate and Greenville.
The *Dead by Daylight* film is being developed in collaboration with Behaviour Interactive and Atomic Monster (the production company led by prominent horror director James Wan), with a script by David Leslie Johnston-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja. Johnston-McGoldrick has previously worked with Atomic Monster's James Wan on *The Conjuring* franchise, while Aja directed and wrote films such as *The Hills Have Eyes* and *Crawl*.
As for the game, it has featured numerous film and TV crossovers since its launch in 2016. These include a *Stranger Things*-themed chapter and the opportunity to play as iconic actor Nicolas Cage (who could fake his own death). Additionally, *Terrifier* icon Art the Clown is arriving in *Dead by Daylight* as part of a new Chapter in November.