Summary
- Dead by Daylight movie is in the works by Jason Blum and James Wan.
- No clear timeline for script completion or release date; may take anywhere from one to five years.
- Jason Blum likens Dead by Daylight development to Five Nights at Freddy's, which took ten years.
Blumhouse has its fingers in many video game-related pies at the moment, with the studio producing the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and launching its own gaming publishing house. One project under Blumhouse’s umbrella that fans have been waiting to hear more about is the Dead by Daylight film.
A Dead by Daylight movie was announced in March 2023 with development being led by horror experts Jason Blum (Blumhouse) and James Wan (Atomic Monster). Dead by Daylight’s developer, Behaviour Interactive is also involved in the adaptation. Dead by Daylight began as a multiplayer game in 2016, with the premise involving one player becoming a killer while the others must try and survive the night. The video game has done all kinds of collaborations over the years, implementing horror icons like Michael Myers, Pyramid Head, and even Alien’s xenomorph. The collaboration between two of the horror movie industry’s maestros and one of the gaming industry’s most popular horror titles seemed like a match made in heaven, although a year had passed without news on the Dead by Daylight adaptation.
10 Killers That Must Appear In The Dead By Daylight Movie
With a Dead by Daylight movie in the works, fans are hopeful that the best killers in the game will appear.
What's The Status of the Dead by Daylight Movie?
Dead by Daylight producer Jason Blum recently attended New York Comic Con and provided a long-awaited update on the film adaptation. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Blum said the team was “working on the script”, although did not mention which writer was attached to pen it. “We don’t put movies in the calendar until we have the right script,” Blum said, explaining the lack of release date for Dead by Daylight’s film iteration.
The producer did not seem concerned about the status of the adaptation, saying “It took 10 years to make Five Nights at Freddy’s, and I think one of the reasons the movie worked is because we spent 10 years trying to get it right.” Five Nights at Freddy’s did indeed spend a decade in development hell, with multiple writers and directors attached, before the film hired Emma Tammi. Five Nights at Freddy’s became Blumhouse’s highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office. It was successful enough to earn a sequel with its release date set for December 2025. Blum added that he had no timeline for the Dead by Daylight script, saying it could take anywhere from 12 months to 5 years.
It took 10 years to make Five Nights at Freddy’s, and I think one of the reasons the movie worked is because we spent 10 years trying to get it right.
It’s no surprise that Blum is happy for the Dead by Daylight movie to take its time. Video game adaptations have had a tumultuous history over the years, with many being completely dismissed by fans. Others, like The Last of Us, Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Five Nights at Freddy’s have seen major success in recent years, signaling a new era for these kinds of game adaptations. A Dead by Daylight adaptation will no doubt be tricky given the nature of the game, which is reliant on player choice in its multiplayer rounds. That being said, the basic nature of the game’s plot, which sees a Killer hunt strangers and impale them on hooks to sacrifice to an entity, is an easy enough premise to serve as an interesting foundation for a horror film. Dead by Daylight’s variation in Killer characters over the years will also no doubt provide plenty of fertile ground for creative twists in the film.
A Dead by Daylight movie is currently in development with no release date.
Dead by Daylight
- Released
- June 14, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity.
Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor.
This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Behaviour Interactive
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Dead by Daylight
- Number of Players
- 5
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, Switch, Mobile
- Genre(s)
- Horror, Survival
- How Long To Beat
- N/A
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- File Size Xbox Series
- 51 GB (October 2022)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Dead By Daylight: 26 Iconic Killers The Game Should Add Next
Dead By Daylight has a plethora of Killers from iconic horror franchises, but there are still so many more that could be added to the game.