Actions have consequences. Sony Pictures has revealed the first trailer for Until Dawn, a live-action adaptation of the acclaimed 2015 PlayStation horror game.
Originally developed by Supermassive Games, the Until Dawn video game revolves around eight unsuspecting teenagers who gather at a secluded cabin a year after two of their friends mysteriously disappeared.
Utilizing a high-stakes “butterfly effect” mechanic, players make choices that shape the storyline, influencing who survives as they face masked killers, cannibalistic creatures, and a web of deceit.
The trailer highlights this butterfly effect in action, showing characters being killed by various monsters only to reset and experience the same events with subtle variations and different outcomes each time.
Written by Gary Dauberman (from an earlier draft by Blair Butler), Until Dawn centers on Clover (played by Ella Rubin), a young woman visiting a remote cabin with her friends following the disappearance of her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell).
Michael Cimino stars as Clover’s ex-boyfriend Max, Ji-young Yoo as Max’s step-sister Megan, Odessa A’zion as Clover’s friend Nina, and Belmont Cameli as Nina’s boyfriend Abel. Peter Stormare reprises his role from the video game as Dr. Alan J. Hill.
Described as an “R-rated love letter to the horror genre,” the Until Dawn film, directed by David F. Sandberg, is not a direct adaptation of the game. Fans shouldn’t expect appearances from characters like Rami Malek’s Josh or Hayden Panettiere’s Sam battling wendigos.
Instead, Sandberg’s film introduces a new group of unlucky teenagers, though the presence of a missing sister suggests that Dauberman’s script draws inspiration from some key elements of the original game.
The movie is being produced by Screen Gems, PlayStation Productions, Vertigo Entertainment, Coin Operated, and Mangata.