Steven Spielberg acquires the rights to The Mandela Catalogue — YouTube's greatest horror series
Overview & Key Takeaways
After Spielberg's Disclosure Day didn't do so hot at the box office, the director is looking to new and unexpected sources for his next blockbuster.
It’s a great time to be a horror fan. Curry Barker’s soul-stirring horror film Obsession raked in $374 million worldwide at the box office and Kane Parson’s creepy-pasta sensation Backrooms wasn’t far behind, bringing in $331 million. It’s clear that the people want a specific kind of horror, and now Disclosure Day director Steven Spielberg is jumping right on that bandwagon with The Mandela Catalogue.
As revealed by Deadline, Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has won the movie rights to the YouTube horror anthology, along with United Artists, as well as Amazon MGM. The movie will be directed by its original creator, Alex Kister, with a screenplay he adapted in collaboration with film producer Tyler Clifton. According to Deadline, the above companies won the rights to the film series “following a highly competitive 11-studio bidding war.”
Image: YouTube/Alex Kister
The Mandela Catalogue is a 2021 analog horror TV series created by Kister. Set in the fictional Mandela County in Wisconsin, the story takes a tragic turn when the area is invaded by otherworldly, near-immortal creatures known as Alternates. Their goal? To assume the identities of the people living there as doppelgängers.
It’s clear why analog horror on YouTube has captivated audiences: The freedom of independent productions allows creators to get bold and dive deep to the roots of the genre. YouTube's popularity as one of the most-visited websites also makes it highly accessible. With no cost involved, sharing projects like The Mandela Catalogue becomes much simpler, encouraging more viewers to explore and share with one another.
Furthermore, as proven by Obsession and Backrooms — both having ties to YouTube within the projects origins — YouTube horror is bringing both butts on seats and some serious money. At a time when high-profile studio projects like DC’s Supergirland Disney’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu fail to impress commercially, earning $79 and $328 million worldwide, respectively, the appeal of movies that cost little to make and dominate box offices is easy to see.
Image: Alex Kister/YouTube
Even Spielberg’s Disclosure Day didn’t do so hot: The mystery sci-fi thriller only earned $198 million worldwide. It’s little wonder that the director is looking for the next big thing in places he hadn’t looked at before — even if that place is YouTube.
A release date for the film adaptation of The Mandela Catalogue has not yet been confirmed.
