Director David F. Sandberg seems done with the world of superheroes after two Shazam! movies, and is returning to his horror roots with a new film. The Swedish director of Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation has signed on to direct a feature film version of Until Dawn, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation horror video game, for Sony Pictures. It’s being developed by Screen Gems, together with PlayStation Productions. All three companies are under the larger Sony umbrella. Most recently, we learned that Sandberg’s Until Dawn movie will tell an original story that captures the spirit of the game’s world.
The Until Dawn Movie’s Official Synopsis Revealed
Sony has now released the official synopsis for its Until Dawn movie. The synopsis reads as follows:
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the nightmare again and again – only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
It’s definitely an interesting take on what the game has to offer its fans.
The Until Dawn Movie Will Tell a New Story Using the Game as Inspiration, Trailer Coming Soon
Screen Gems president Ashley Bucks recently shared that in his conception of Until Dawn, David F. Sandberg “took the essence of what makes the game great and selected elements we think are the most important to the fans and paid homage to it in the right way.” She additionally adds, “We then built out Until Dawn‘s universe using the core premise of a group of friends who encounter a variety of terrifying threats to tell a new story that is truly visceral and horrifying.” Emphasis on “new.”
But, there will be some connective tissue between the Until Dawn video game and its movie. Bucks revealed that Peter Stormare’s Dr. Hill game character will also appear in the film. Stormare, for his part, noted once again that a “brand-new story” awaited fans of the game, one that would have “fresh characters and victims.” In short, it’s “Until Dawn like you’ve never seen it before.”
You can learn a little more about the Until Dawn movie’s plot mechanics above, and catch a first look at Peter Stormare’s Dr. Hill in the film.
More About the Until Dawn Movie and Game
Gary Dauberman, the screenwriter behind hit horror franchises It, Annabelle, and The Nun is doing a rewrite on the script originally written by Blair Butler. Butler had previously written wrote Sony’s vampire film, The Invitation. Speaking of vampires, Dauberman also recently finished his adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, which is sitting on a shelf at Warner Bros. We’re all still waiting for that one. Disney also announced Dauberman as the one taking the helm of a long-awaited adaptation of the ’90s animated hit, Gargoyles.
Until Dawn is an interactive horror video game that came out back in 2015. The game focuses on eight friends who arrive one day at a remote mountain retreat. There, they come face-to-face with several deadly scenarios, a killer on the loose, and even cannibal wendigos. All the members of the group of friends have to face their biggest fears, or they won’t live to see another day. Until Dawn ended up being a big seller, and critics also loved it. Until Dawn ultimately received several gaming awards nominations. Sony is no doubt hoping they have the same game-to-live-action success that they had with The Last of Us. Until Dawn is currently slated to release on April 25.
Originally published in 2024.
