The popular Roblox survival horror game is heading to Hollywood, with the filmmakers behind The Evil Dead and Toy Story 4 joining forces for a live-action adaptation.
A popular Roblox survival horror game is making its way to the big screen, bringing together two filmmakers with very different cinematic backgrounds. 20th Century Studios has acquired the film rights to 99 Nights in the Forest, with Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi attached to produce and Toy Story 4 filmmaker Josh Cooley set to write the live-action adaptation.
The project combines Raimi’s experience in horror filmmaking with Cooley’s background in animation and character-driven storytelling. While the game is built around surviving dangerous nights in a haunted forest, the upcoming movie will need to transform that interactive experience into a feature-length cinematic story.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, the studio considered pitches from several writers before selecting Cooley’s vision. The screenplay’s details have not been publicly revealed, leaving questions about the characters, storyline and the way the game will be adapted.
A Roblox Game Built Around Survival
Released in 2025, 99 Nights in the Forest challenges players to survive in a dangerous wilderness while searching for four missing children. The game combines exploration, resource gathering, camp building and horror elements, creating a setting in which survival becomes more difficult after nightfall.
Players must gather supplies and maintain their camps during the day while preparing for the creatures that emerge after dark. The forest is not simply a backdrop for exploration; it becomes the central threat as players attempt to survive one night after another.
One of the game’s most recognisable enemies is an aggressive deer-like creature that stalks players through the woods. Its unusual appearance and threatening behaviour have made it a memorable part of the game’s horror experience.
The film adaptation could draw on these elements, but it remains unclear how closely the story will follow the original game. The missing children, the forest and the creatures provide a foundation for a survival thriller, although the final narrative will depend on the screenplay.
Sam Raimi Returns to Horror Territory
Raimi’s involvement brings a filmmaker with a long history in horror to the project. He directed the original Evil Dead trilogy, which established his reputation for combining supernatural horror with dark humour and intense visual storytelling.
He later directed the Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man films and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. His work across horror and superhero cinema has included stories featuring dangerous environments, supernatural forces and characters confronting extraordinary threats.
Raimi will produce the Roblox adaptation alongside his longtime collaborator Rob Tapert through Ghost House Pictures.
The connection between Raimi and the haunted forest premise is particularly notable because his Evil Dead films also use an isolated woodland setting as a source of fear. However, the new project is based on an existing game and will require its own approach to storytelling.
Josh Cooley Moves into Live Action
Josh Cooley will write the screenplay, following a career that has largely focused on animation.
He co-wrote Pixar’s Inside Out, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2016. He later directed Toy Story 4, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Cooley also directed Transformers One, the 2024 animated film exploring the origins of the Transformers characters.
His involvement marks an interesting shift from family animation and science-fiction storytelling towards survival horror. The adaptation will require a balance between the game’s interactive origins and the expectations of a theatrical audience.
Cooley’s interpretation of the story has not been made public, so it is not yet known whether the film will focus primarily on the missing children, a group of survivors or another storyline inspired by the game.
What We Know About the Film
The project is in development at 20th Century Studios, but several important details remain unconfirmed.
No director has been announced, and there is no confirmed cast or release date. The studio’s selection of Cooley followed pitches from multiple writers, although the specific details of the competing proposals have not been disclosed.
The film’s eventual visual style, treatment of the game’s creatures and approach to the 99-night survival premise will become clearer as development progresses.
The adaptation also highlights the growing potential for Roblox experiences to reach audiences outside the gaming platform. Games that attract large communities can offer studios established concepts and recognisable worlds, while filmmakers must still develop stories that work for viewers who may be unfamiliar with the original game.
For fans of 99 Nights in the Forest, the announcement offers an opportunity to see the haunted woodland setting reimagined for the cinema. Whether the film remains close to the game’s survival mechanics or develops a different narrative is yet to be revealed.
With Sam Raimi producing and Josh Cooley writing, the project has taken its first major steps towards the big screen. More information about the director, cast and release plans is expected as production moves forward.