How does one go about turning an online meme into a major studio film? Well, we’re about to find out if Warner Bros. can pull it off, because THR reports it was won a fierce five-studio bidding war for Siren Head, based on a horror meme by creature designer Trevor Henderson. While that’s cool and all, the reason for so much interest is who’s attached to the project: Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield.
According to the report, Siren Head centers on a tall, rotting skeletal figure with two sirens as a head. Alrighty, then.
Cregger is the red-hot creator of Barbarian and Oscar nominee, Weapons, and will write the Siren Head screenplay. Duffield will direct, his fourth feature following Spontaneous, No One Will Save You, and the upcoming thriller Whalefall. I’ve written a lot about Duffield on this site, primarily for his screenwriting on killer films like Love & Monsters and Jane Got a Gun. He and Cregger working together is a dream team, and WB knows it.
I’ve never heard of Siren Head before, but it apparently has billions of views across multiple social media platforms. Sound familiar? We could be looking at another Backrooms-sized hit. Sony, Universal, Paramount, and Disney’s 20th Century Studios were all involved in the bidding, suggesting they realize the potential in this movie, too.
