A film adaptation of the viral found-footage films created by YouTuber Kane Parsons was announced to be in development at A24 back in 2023, with minimal updates since. But it looks like A24 is finally preparing to move full steam ahead with the project as a new report from Deadline suggests casting is underway. According to the outlet, The Penguin star Cristin Milioti and Chiwetel Ejiofor (who was so very charming in the recent Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy) are in talks to co-star.
Reps for A24 have declined to comment on the news, so it sounds like if the two stars are circling these roles then the deals have not yet been signed or confirmed. Parsons will direct the film from a script by Roberto Patino. A24 is adapting alongside James Wan's Atomic Monster banner, Chernin Entertainment, and 21 Laps.
The Backrooms remains a mysterious project for the studio as no details have been provided about what the plot might be or who the actors might portray. The concept of the Backrooms revolves around the idea of liminal spaces and strangeness of expansive empty rooms that have long intrigued online circles. This particular idea originated as a creepypasta on a 2019 4chan thread and then picked up steam as users started to share stories onto subreddits and beyond.
Eventually, Parsons created his own series of short films which helped to catapult the idea of the Backrooms into the mainstream. If you spend any significant amount of time on social media, you've likely seen videos, memes, and references to them all over the place. Several indie game developers have tried tapping into the psychological fear stemming from these mysterious spaces to varying degrees of success, with games like The Backrooms Project, Escape the Backrooms, and The Backrooms 1998.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of storyline the filmmakers concoct, perhaps something akin to the eerie and experimental Skinamarink, though that film has proven to be quite polarizing among horror fans.
Two months ago, the subreddit dedicated to Parsons's Backrooms series shared a screenshot of an alleged conversation between Parsons and another user where the filmmaker reveals a crew for the movie is "partially assembled," and they are securing space for construction of the set. The information in the post is not verified, but it would track with A24 finally making movement on the movie.
Ejiofor has made his way around the various franchises, having appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Baron Mondo and in Sony's Venom: The Last Dance. He also stars in Mike Flanagan's upcoming Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck alongside Tom Hiddleston. Some of his other popular roles include Love Actually, The Old Guard, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Triple 9, and The Lion King. He'll next return to reprise his role as Copley in The Old Guard 2 and he is also set to star as King Saran in the adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi's novel Children of Blood and Bone.
Prior to landing her acclaimed role as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin, Milioti was best known for her comedic roles in How I Met Your Mother, Palm Springs, Made for Love, and The Resort. She'll next star in Alex Woo's animated musical film In Your Dreams.