The short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie entered the public domain this year, and the upcoming Screamboat turns the tale into a nightmare.
From the production teams behind Terrifier 2 and The Mean One, Screamboat is coming to theaters in 2025 via Iconic Events Releasing, with Terrifier, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 star David Howard Thornton (“Art the Clown”) playing the film’s twisted version of Steamboat Willie. Indiewire debuted the official teaser trailer today. You can check it out below.
Director Steven LaMorte tells the outlet that the film’s version of Steamboat Willie is “a 100 percent in-camera practical creature,” with both a puppet and a costume being used.
In Screamboat, “A mischievous mouse stalks a group of New Yorkers on a late night ferry ride, unleashing murderous mayhem on a relaxing commute. Can the ship’s motley crew of travelers find a way to stop a killer creature who has developed a taste for tourists?”
“Screamboat will feature a mix of practical creature effects, miniatures, and cutting edge virtual production to showcase its very mischievous monster slashing his way through a ferry of fear.”
The cast also includes Allison Pittel (“Stream”), Amy Schumacher (“The Mean One”), Jesse Posey (“Teen Wolf”), Jesse Kove (“Cobra Kai”), Rumi C Jean-Louis (“Hightown”) as well as Jarlath Conroy (Romero’s “Day of the Dead”) and Charles Edwin Powell (“The Exorcist III”).
A number of spectacular artists have joined the project, eager to bring LaMorte’s twisted version of Steamboat Willie to life. Christian Beckman‘s Quantum Creation FX, Inc. (The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Book of Boba Fett) is creating the creature from designs by concept artist Christian Cordella (Avatar: The Way of Water, Spider-Man: No Way Home).
Produced by Amy Schumacher, Martine Melloul, and Steven LaMorte (the team behind The Mean One) in collaboration with horror heavyweights Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy (Terrifier 2, Terrifer 3, Stream), the film promises a hilariously horrific twist on Disney’s beloved mascot. Production is set to begin in Spring of 2024.