‘Monster High’ Movie Taps Gerard Johnstone To Direct

After directing a pair of M3GAN films, Gerard Johnstone has come aboard to helm the live-action Monster High movie, based on Mattel’s doll line, for the company, as well as Universal Pictures and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road.

Plot details remain under wraps. Mattel first announced the project in June 2024. Robbie Brenner, President and Chief Content Officer of Mattel Studios, will produce alongside Goldsman. Overseeing the project are Arturo Thur de Koós for Mattel and Greg Lessans for Weed Road. Universal Pictures’ Senior Vice President of Production Lexi Barta and Director of Production Development Jacqueline Garell are overseeing for the studio.

First introduced via a line of dolls in 2010, Monster High centers around a fictional high school attended by the teenage children of famous monsters. These characters, such as Draculaura (daughter of Dracula), Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein’s monster), Clawdeen Wolf (daughter of the Werewolf) and Cleo de Nile (daughter of the Mummy), are designed to reflect the diverse and unique offspring of classic monster figures. Each brings their own personality, style, and background to the Monster High universe, creating a rich tapestry of monster heritage and high school drama.

Beyond the dolls, Monster High has thus far expanded into various forms of media, including an animated web series, TV specials, movies, and books. The franchise encourages its audience to embrace their unique qualities and differences, much like the characters do in their world.

Johnstone previously directed Uni’s breakout horror hit M3GAN, which grossed over $180 million worldwide, as well as M3GAN 2.0, the sequel set to open on June 27. He’s otherwise best known the for cult-favorite haunted house comedy Housebound and the award-winning satirical series The Jaquie Brown Diaries, and is repped by CAA, Key Creatives, and Davis Law Group.

Said Mattel’s Brenner in a statement on the director hire, “Gerard’s unique vision and genre-blending style make him the perfect fit for this film. This is exactly what we’re building at Mattel Studios as we continue to work with top talent to tell fresh, unexpected stories from our rich portfolio of brands. Monster High is a fan-favorite franchise with endless storytelling potential, and we are thrilled to reimagine it in a monstrously exciting way with Gerard at the helm.”

Added Goldsman, who is also a producer on Mattel Studios’ Major Matt Mason starring Tom Hanks, “Monster High is delightfully personal to me — my daughters grew up loving the dolls and what they represent. Gerard’s work is sharp, daring, and full of heart. He’s exactly the director this film needs.”

Currently, Mattel Studios has two live-action movies in the works: Masters of the Universe, scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on June 5, 2026, and Matchbox, which recently wrapped principal photography and is slated for release in Fall 2026. Yesterday, Mattel officially folded its film and TV units into Mattel Studios, promoting Brenner and hiring three, as we were first to report.

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