Skeletons, the upcoming Brie Larson-starring creature feature from director JT Mollner (Strange Darling‘, A24's upcoming The Texas Chain Saw Massacre series), officially has a new home at Sony Pictures after a competitive bidding war.
Previously titled Fail-Safe, Skeletons is based on a short story by Philip Fracassi, with Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) on script duties. The horror pic is told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature. Casting for the son and father is in process.
Lost, Star Wars and Star Trek mogul J.J. Abrams (also set to produce Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki's English-language debut, Grandgear) produces, and has the following to say:
Brian Duffield has written an absolute powerhouse of a script. It’s a horror film that is as sweet and moving as it is terrifying. To have JT Mollner in the director’s chair — his Strange Darling blew me away — is a dream come true. Finally, having the limitlessly talented Brie Larson as our star sets the film up to be that rare horror film that makes you laugh, feel and care before taking you on an absolutely wild ride.
Per Deadline, Sony's worldwide deal for Skeletons landed somewhere in the $25M range, beating out Paramount, Warner Bros. and Neon, indicating one hot package, and one of the best pre-sale options at the EFM earlier this year. Behind the scenes, Abrams Drew Simon, Jon Cohen, and Jack Heller are producers, with Assemble’s Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen and Duffield executive-producing, as is Larson.
As we mentioned up top, Mollner has also been tapped to direct A24's upcoming The Texas Chain Saw Massacre series following another high profile bidding war. After the Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald-starring erotic thriller was a hit with horror fans, and clearly marked Mollner as a name to watch.
Look out for more on Skeletons as we get it, and for more, here's all the other monster movies we're excited for still to come in 2026.
