Backrooms Director Eyes Sequel and Seeks New Screenwriter

Backrooms is currently dominating the box office, and 20-year-old director Kane “Pixels” Parsons is already eyeing a sequel. Reports indicate that this filmmaking talent is on the hunt for a “screenwriting collaborator” to help him craft a follow-up film.

After an impressive opening weekend that saw his film rake in $118 million globally, Parsons is in a prime position to pursue his vision, and if the rumors are accurate, he’s looking for a new writer to jump on board for the sequel. While details are scarce, this move suggests he may not be planning to work with the original film’s writer, Will Soodik.

Soodik, who has a limited number of writing credits, does have some notable projects under his belt. He’s contributed to episodes of Homeland, Borgia, and Westworld, as well as ten episodes of the acclaimed Ash vs Evil Dead. However, he’s also busy co-writing the upcoming horror film Altar with Sputnik director Egor Abramenko and is attached to Abramenko’s next project, God’s Country. This could mean he’s unavailable for a Backrooms sequel.

Originally, Soodik replaced writer/producer Roberto Patino, known for his work on Sons of Anarchy and Westworld, who was slated to write Backrooms but is now focused on the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie. So, he’s out of the picture as well.

While it’s understandable why Parsons would want to dive straight into another Backrooms project, I’m not entirely convinced it’s the best move for him. He gained recognition for his impressive YouTube shorts based on the Backrooms concept, which led to the opportunity to create a feature film. Jumping into another Backrooms installment could risk typecasting him as “the Backrooms guy.”

Many breakout directors, especially in horror, often find themselves trapped in a niche, struggling to showcase their versatility and ending up churning out straight-to-streaming sequels. However, Parsons is clearly passionate about the Backrooms universe and has aspirations for an anthology. With his current momentum, securing funding shouldn’t be an issue. Who knows, he might even negotiate a substantial deal for the sequel, setting himself up for financial security in the future.