Summary
Blumhouse has its fingers in many video game-related pies at the moment, with the studio producing the upcomingFive Nights at Freddy’s 2and launching its own gaming publishing house. One project under Blumhouse’s umbrella that fans have been waiting to hear more about is theDead by Daylightfilm.
A Dead by Daylightmovie was announced in March 2023with development being led by horror experts Jason Blum (Blumhouse) and James Wan (Atomic Monster).Dead by Daylight’sdeveloper, Behaviour Interactive is also involved in the adaptation.Dead by Daylightbegan as a multiplayer game in 2016, with the premise involving one player becoming a killer while the others must try and survive the night. The video game has done all kinds of collaborations over the years, implementing horror icons like Michael Myers, Pyramid Head,and evenAlien’sxenomorph. The collaboration between two of the horror movie industry’s maestros and one of the gaming industry’s most popular horror titles seemed like a match made in heaven, although a year had passed without news on theDead by Daylightadaptation.
Dead by Daylightproducer Jason Blum recently attended New York Comic Con and provided a long-awaited update on the film adaptation.Speaking to ComicBook.com,Blum said the team was “working on the script”, although did not mention which writer was attached to pen it. “We don’t put movies in the calendar until we have the right script,” Blum said, explaining the lack of release date forDead by Daylight’sfilm iteration.
The producer did not seem concerned about the status of the adaptation, saying “It took 10 years to makeFive Nights at Freddy’s, and I think one of the reasons the movie worked is because we spent 10 years trying to get it right.”Five Nights at Freddy’sdid indeed spend a decade in development hell, with multiple writers and directors attached, before the film hired Emma Tammi.Five Nights at Freddy’sbecame Blumhouse’s highest-grossing filmat the worldwide box office. It was successful enough to earn a sequel with its release date set for December 2025. Blum added that he had no timeline for theDead by Daylightscript, saying it could take anywhere from 12 months to 5 years.
It took 10 years to make Five Nights at Freddy’s, and I think one of the reasons the movie worked is because we spent 10 years trying to get it right.
It’s no surprise that Blum is happy for theDead by Daylightmovie to take its time. Video game adaptations have had a tumultuous history over the years, with many being completely dismissed by fans. Others, likeThe Last of Us, Super Mario Bros. Movie, andFive Nights at Freddy’shave seen major success in recent years, signaling anew era for these kinds of game adaptations. ADead by Daylightadaptation will no doubt be tricky given the nature of the game, which is reliant on player choice in its multiplayer rounds. That being said, the basic nature of the game’s plot, which sees a Killer hunt strangers and impale them on hooks to sacrifice to an entity, is an easy enough premise to serve as an interesting foundation for a horror film.Dead by Daylight’svariation in Killer characters over the years will also no doubt provide plenty of fertile ground for creative twists in the film.
ADead by Daylightmovie is currently in development with no release date.
Dead by Daylight
WHERE TO PLAY
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity.Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor.This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
