Sony has officially acquired the film rights to Mouthwashing, the 2024 indie psychological horror game developed by Wrong Organ and published by Critical Reflex. The studio plans to develop the project with Crooked Highway, the production company behind The Black Phone.
This move follows the commercial success of Resident Evil, a film adaptation distributed and co-produced by Sony that was directed by Zach Cregger. The studio is looking to expand its portfolio of video game adaptations with this new acquisition.
Karyn Kusama to Direct
Karyn Kusama has been tapped to direct the film. She will work from a screenplay written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay. The writing duo previously collaborated with Kusama on The Invitation, a 2015 psychological horror film.
Kusama has experience adapting video game properties. She serves as an executive producer on Amazon’s upcoming Life Is Strange series. She is also set to direct the first two episodes of that show, which recently finished production and received approval from the original game’s creators.
Source Material Details
Mouthwashing tells the story of five crew members aboard the cargo spaceship Tulpar. The characters are stranded in deep space after an accident that appears to be caused by their unstable captain. The game focuses on the dread of being trapped in a confined space with people who are spiraling into madness.
The game is relatively short, taking approximately two and a half hours to complete. This concise runtime may make it easier to adapt the story faithfully for the screen. The game is currently available on all major platforms.
Details regarding the release date for the Mouthwashing film adaptation have not been announced. Sony and Crooked Highway are in the early stages of development.
Source: Polygon
