Writer-director Jacob Chase has already achieved the near-impossible: he made the sixth film in the Insidious series feel fresh, scary, and nearly as good as the 2010 original. Though Insidious: Out of the Further didn’t top the box office on its opening weekend (Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still cleaning up at number one), it’s still on its way to becoming a hit, and Chase—who’s spent the press cycle sharing fun anecdotes about the haunted maze he used to run and his early-career brush with the Snyderverse—has his next horror tale already set.
It’s called Sleepover, and if that title makes you think of 1,000 genre cliches, remember—this is the guy who got people excited about a part-six franchise installment. Even with just the title and no plot details to go on, it seems like he’s probably got a fun, unexpected angle on the material. (He already did a pillow fort in Out of the Further, though.)
According to a press release, Sleepover has snagged October 8, 2027, for its release date, so that fits right in with Chase’s Halloween expertise.
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Atomic Monster are producing, and Chase co-wrote the screenplay with Bryce McGuire, based on McGuire’s story. McGuire wrote and directed 2024’s Night Swim, which is perhaps now better known by its viral nickname, “Pooltergeist.”
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Stare into the abyss and soak in the realization that Cars, Disney and Pixar’s franchise-spawning and narratively confusing animated juggernaut, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. After its release in 2006, it was followed by two sequels as well as a spin-off, Planes, which got its own sequel. There have also been multiple TV series, video games, and a significant Cars presence at Disney’s theme parks.
Somehow, the increasingly sequel-obsessed Pixar hasn’t announced a Cars 4 yet, but if you cast a glance at the success of Toy Story 5, you have to assume someone over there is talking about the possibility. In the meantime, the original Cars is making a victory lap back to theaters in honor of Lightning McQueen Day, which is September 5—9/5, the race car’s signature number.
© Disney/Pixar
“Cars introduces Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, who discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs and meets the town’s offbeat characters, including Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman), Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), and Sally (voiced by Bonnie Hunt),” reads the film’s official synopsis.
Cars marked one of the final film roles for Hollywood legend and noted racing aficionado Newman, who passed away in 2008. It was the sixth-highest-grossing release of 2006, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Da Vinci Code, Ice Age: Meltdown, Casino Royale, and Night at the Museum, some of which have perhaps not stood the test of time as well as Cars, despite who directed it.
You can get advanced tickets for the Cars 20th anniversary screenings, which kick off September 4, at this link.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Plus get a tiny glimpse of ‘Supergirl’ ahead of its first trailer this week.
Let us all give our money to Letterboxd.
The director reacted to what audiences liked and didn’t like about his movie for its follow-up, out December 19.
‘Severance’ and ‘Pluribus’ did get Best Drama nominations, as did ‘Sinners’ and ‘Frankenstein’.