De la Iglesia Sets Animated Lovecraft Feature for Late
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- Álex de la Iglesia, director of 'Day of the Beast' and '30 Coins,' is set to helm his first animated feature, 'Ages of Madness: The Howling of the Jinn,' announced at the Annecy Animation Festival by Canary Islands-based 3Doubles Producciones and Bizkaia-based Sumendi Uhartea.
- 3Doubles Producciones described the project as 'the first major adult 3D animation production to fully adapt the complex universe of H.P. Lovecraft for the big screen,' with production scheduled to begin in late 2026.
- The Necronomicon — Lovecraft's legendary forbidden book — serves as the film's through-line, traveling across four historical and geographical settings, 'feeding on humanity's thirst for forbidden knowledge' and unleashing madness, per the producers.
- De la Iglesia revealed he was a comic book artist and monster-drawer in his youth before his short 'Mirandas asesinas' convinced the Almodóvar brothers to produce his 1993 feature debut 'Mutant Action,' calling the new project a chance to 'reconnect with my roots.'
- 3Doubles CEO Darío Sánchez framed the film as 'a turning point for our sector,' arguing it will help 'put the Spanish industry on the global map' as adult animation booms.
- Sumendi Uhartea brings recent credits including 'Heidi,' 'Katamotzaren erreskatea,' 'Lasai, Zeus!' and 'KooKoo Corral,' the last of which was selected for Cartoon Forum 2025.
Why it matters: The project positions Spain to claim a first-mover foothold in adult-oriented 3D animation adapting a high-profile literary horror universe, with 3Doubles explicitly framing it as a sector-defining title rather than a one-off prestige play — and it hands de la Iglesia, a live-action genre specialist, a new canvas at a moment when Annecy's deal flow (OuiDo!/Mars Express producers' 'Prudence') is validating adult animation as a commercial lane.
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