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Thordur Palsson to Direct Dead by Daylight Film

6/15/2026

Summary

Palsson Directs Film

Thordur Palsson will direct the Dead by Daylight feature film for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja are writing the movie’s script.
The film’s development aligns with the game’s 10th anniversary, which debuted in 2016.
Jason Blum and James Wan said they trust Palsson to bring the game’s world to theaters.
An animated series based on Dead by Daylight is reportedly in development.

Summary

Behaviour Co-produces Film

Behaviour Interactive is co-producing a Dead by Daylight film with Atomic Monster, James Wan’s horror studio.
The partnership joins the game’s developer with Wan’s company, which previously worked on The Conjuring franchise.
Recent updates added a Stranger Things-themed chapter and a playable Nicolas Cage character to the game.
In November, Art the Clown from Terrifier will join as a new Chapter killer, expanding the horror roster.

Summary

Dead by Daylight Produced

The Dead by Daylight film is being produced amid a surge of successful video-game movies.
Adaptations such as Minecraft ($960 million), The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.3 billion), Sonic the Hedgehog, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Iron Lung have been major earners, showing the genre’s profitability.
Director Thordur Palsson is represented by Sayle Screen, CAA, Sycamore Media and Jackoway Tyerman.
Producers have not disclosed any plot details for the film.

History

Historical Context

Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2005 Resident Evil film earned $103 million worldwide, proving a video-game adaptation could be a box-office hit and spurring studios like Universal to fund similar projects. The success sparked a zombie-genre revival and set a profit model that today’s Dead by Daylight movie—backed by Blumhouse, Atomic Monster and James Wan—aims to replicate.

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Palsson Directs Film

Thordur Palsson will direct the Dead by Daylight feature film for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja are writing the movie’s script.
The film’s development aligns with the game’s 10th anniversary, which debuted in 2016.
Jason Blum and James Wan said they trust Palsson to bring the game’s world to theaters.
An animated series based on Dead by Daylight is reportedly in development.

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