Kane Parsons was only 17 when he was brought on by A24 to direct “Backrooms,” which was inspired by the viral YouTube shorts he created.
Three years later, “Backrooms” has shattered industry expectations with an $81M opening weekend. This could not have been made possible without Osgood Perkins, who was brought on to mentor Parsons, who was still in high school, and helped guide him in making the film.
Their partnership was so close that rumors began to emerge suggesting it was actually Perkins who ghost-directed “Backrooms.” Of course, that is all nonsense. There was likely some guidance involved, but “Backrooms” is, through and through, Parsons’ vision.
Now, while Parsons continues to develop a “Backrooms” sequel, with the intention of bringing in a co-writer to help pen the script, The InSneider is reporting that he and Perkins are set to team up on an original project that Parsons will direct. Perkins may be writing or co-writing it, but nothing has been confirmed.
Of course, Perkins is the man behind “Longlegs” and “The Monkey”—much like Parsons, he has turned films budgeted at under $10M into box office hits. According to Sneider, this new Perkins/Parsons project is expected to be announced very soon.
No word yet on a studio, but it will likely be either A24 or Neon, the latter of which has been Perkins’ exclusive home for the last four films he has directed.
As for “Backrooms,” it is tracking at a 67% dip this coming weekend at the box office. It will still make $30M+, which is more than anyone could have imagined. It has already become the highest domestic-grossing movie in A24 history, with over $100M in receipts in just six days of release.
So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.