A24 Horror Movie ‘The Backrooms’ Adds Renate Reinsve To Cast

The film adaptation of the viral phenomenon known as The Backrooms has been officially greenlighted. The horror project, based on the YouTube series of the same name, is under production by indie film studio A24. Although weeks ago we reported that Cristin Milioti (The Penguin, Palm Springs) had joined the film as the lead alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men), her deal did not go through. Instead, Ejiofor is now set to star alongside Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) in the horror film that’s yet to receive an official release date.

As reported by Deadline, A24 also signed Backrooms creator Kane Parson to direct the project, which begins production this summer. At 19 years old, Parson is now the youngest director to join the ranks of the legendary film studio that’s famous for championing film and TV projects that are unconventional and auteur-driven. They have been known to offer full creative control to horror filmmakers such as Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse), and Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine), among others.

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Reinsve rose to fame after debuting in Joachim Trier’s Academy Award-nominated romantic drama The Worst Person in the World. She also starred in the 2024 widely acclaimed thriller A Different Man, and the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent. Reinsve is not a newcomer to horror, having starred in one of the most underrated scary films of 2024, Handling the Undead. Ejiofor, on the other hand, is a Hollywood staple already, having earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in 12 Years a Slave. He’s not known for participating in horror, although he has done genre-adjacent movies like Children of Men and Z for Zachariah.

Some of the producers of The Backrooms include Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen, via 21 Laps Entertainment. Horror maestros James Wan and Michael Clear will oversee through their company, Atomic Monster. Chris Ferguson will produce via Oddfellows Pictures. The Backrooms is set to be financed by A24 as well, and the studio will likely handle distribution in North America.

Explaining the Internet Viral Phenomenon Known as ‘The Backrooms’

The Backrooms will be the feature film version of the video in found-footage format that went viral on YouTube. The Backrooms (Found Footage) was a video adaptation of a creepypasta first posted on 4chan’s forums about the paranormal in 2019. The first video, uploaded in 2022 by Parson’s user, Kane Pixels, garnered 66 million views, and it was produced by the teenager using 3D software. The video went viral, and Parson decided to expand the series. A total of 22 videos were produced, garnering over 188 million views since the young director started uploading the videos. Screen Rant’s plot synopsis of the YouTube series reads as follows:

The Backrooms is a psychological horror TV series created by Kane Pixels. Based on the internet urban legend, the show explores the eerie and disorienting phenomena experienced by those who find themselves trapped in the endless, maze-like structure known as ‘The Backrooms.’ Each episode delves into the surreal and unsettling events that challenge the sanity and survival of various characters navigating this seemingly inescapable labyrinth.

Source: Deadline / Screen Rant

The Backrooms

Director

Kane Parsons

Writers

Roberto Patino

Producers

Shawn Levy, Christopher White, Dan Levine, James Wan, Dan Cohen, Michael Clear

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