The new film production company spawned by prolific horror writer Gary Dauberman (Coin Operated) just landed the film adaptation of Bloober Team’s The Medium.
Bloober Team’s acclaimed and fan-favourite horror title, The Medium, will be the next horror experience to be adapted to the silver screen thanks to Gary Dauberman’s new film label, Coin Operated. The report broke from an exclusive with The Hollywood Reporter, and it appears all hands are on deck. Dauberman said, “With its compelling story and incredibly cinematic visuals, The Medium is a natural for a feature film adaptation,” adding, “When I talked to Piotr [Babieno] about it, we immediately connected on our mutual love of horror and his vision for where the genre is headed.”
The Medium launched in 2021 to universal acclaim from fans, with the title still flexing a “Very Positive” reception, and that’s considering the thousands of reviews posted to Steam. Metacritic paints a different picture, with a 71% and a “mixed” reception. CGMagazine’s review stated, “There are too many issues here. The bugs, the poorly told story, and the deeper narrative concerns really hold the game down and there’s not much here to hold up” in an abysmal review on The Medium‘s launch, driving a divide between some critical analysis and fan reception.
Gary Dauberman notably scripted the Until Dawn video game adaptation, with his multifaceted credits also including Salem’s Lot, The Nun II, IT, IT: Chapter Two, and Annabelle: Creation. Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno echoed the excited sentiment from Dauberman, saying, “Adapting games into films often involves balancing many interests, but with The Medium, I have a deep sense that Gary is the perfect partner for us. From our very first conversation, I felt we were completely in sync. And every conversation since has only reinforced that feeling,” so all sides are on the same page with the silver screen adaptation.
While the film is still in the idea phase of production, Coin Operated is reportedly looking for a writer and a director for the project, as Dauberman and Mia Maniscalco —his president at Coin Operated— will adapt the video game through their company banner. Coin Operated is currently developing a reboot of Urban Legend (a film based on the 1990s slasher movie of the same name) with Shanrah Wakefield signed as scribe for the script.
While the film is still far away from landing on screens, The Medium will return as a film from Coin Operated.
