New Line Wins Krekis Horror in 10-Party Bidding War
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- New Line Cinema acquired Theo James Krekis's horror package "Jealous People are Ugly People" following a bidding war that drew at least 10 parties.
- Krekis will write and direct the feature adaptation of his own short film, which the BBC commissioned, The Fold produced, and which premiered at SXSW Midnight Madness in 2026.
- The Fold's Jennifer Monks and Michelle Stein will produce alongside Temple Hill Entertainment (Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Ben Levine, Ethan Cappello), with Josh Mack and Lauren Botchan overseeing for New Line.
- The bidding frenzy reflects demand for elevated digital-first horror after Curry Barker's "Obsession" (Focus Features) and Kane Parson's "Backrooms" (A24) became the highest-grossing titles in each studio's history.
- Krekis is developing a second feature with BBC Film, has six-part series "Blossom" in development with Clerkenwell Films, and is set to write a new series from the Peaky Blinders creator for Kudos.
- New Line's upcoming slate includes The Revenge of La Llorona (Feb 26, 2027), The Conjuring: First Communion (Sept 10, 2027), and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (Dec 17, 2027).
Why it matters: New Line paid a premium for a digital-first horror property at a moment when "Obsession" and "Backrooms" proved YouTube-native creators can deliver studio-record-breaking hits — the feeding frenzy now extends to a Greek/British filmmaker whose short earned a BBC commission and SXSW premiere, marking public-broadcaster-backed shorts as legitimate feature acquisition targets.
