Secret Portal Movie Talks
From Backrooms to Portal? A24's breakout director just revealed secret meetings with Valve.
What the video says
Cain Parsons had secret meetings with Valve. The 21-year-old director became a major target after turning his viral YouTube hit "Backrooms" into an A24 feature.
A24 offered Parsons its biggest deal ever, while Warner Bros. and HBO also courted the young filmmaker.
Hollywood has sparked a gold rush for internet horror creators, turning online phenomena into box office hits. Directors like Curry Barker with "Obsession" and Mark Fischbach with "Iron Lung" prove web audiences fill movie theaters.
Appearing on The Kyle Buchanan Show, Parsons revealed he is working on 3 dream projects right now. He joked that space lasers would get him if he revealed any details about those secret films.
At the same time, he is creating a personal project meant specifically for YouTube. Parsons explained that video views easily fund his next project without relying on a major studio apparatus.
Still, he admitted to an ambitious itch that independent YouTube releases cannot fully satisfy. Adapting internet horror requires conforming chaotic web concepts into traditional narrative structures audiences can follow.
He sees promise in adapting web hits like "The Mandela Catalogue" and "Siren Head" into feature films. But Parsons warned that other online stories would be crippled if removed from YouTube.
He explained that certain feelings online simply have not transposed into a theatrical experience yet. Parsons is focusing on long-term growth rather than rushing decisions over his next decade.
Those secret talks with Valve were exploratory creative meetings regarding adapting the video game "Portal."
