The long-in-development Dead by Daylight movie finally has a director. During the game's 10th anniversary celebration broadcast, developer Behaviour Interactive confirmed that Icelandic filmmaker Thordur Palsson will direct the film adaptation of the popular multiplayer horror game.
Palsson is best known for directing the atmospheric horror film The Damned. According to Collider, his stated goal for the project is to recreate the tension central to the gaming experience, specifically the constant sense that danger could be lurking just out of sight.
The screenplay is being developed by horror filmmaker Alexandre Aja alongside screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Plot details remain under wraps, but the anniversary presentation confirmed that recognizable locations from the game will appear in the film. The MacMillan Estate and Greenville, two settings familiar to longtime players, were both confirmed.
The adaptation was originally announced in 2023 through a partnership between Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, and Behaviour Interactive, but for several years no writer or director had been attached. The addition of Palsson marks the clearest indication yet that the project is entering a more active phase of development.
First released in 2016, Dead by Daylight pits a single killer against four survivors in asymmetrical multiplayer matches. The game has become well known for licensing horror icons including Michael Myers, Ghostface, Chucky, and characters from franchises like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Hellraiser, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil. The anniversary broadcast also announced that Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise will be joining the game.
Production is expected to begin next year.
