Popeye Horror Movie Turns Cartoon Sailor Into Jason Voorhees-Like Killer

Popeye is getting the live-action horror treatment in a new movie coming in January of 2025. ITN Studios just released the first teaser images for its take on Popeye via Bloody Disgusting. Believe it or not, this project is not affiliated with the “twisted childhood universe” or “Poohniverse.”

William Stead is directing Popeye while Steven Murphy plays the spinach-eating sailor himself. The official synopsis reads: “The legend of Popeye haunts a group of councilors as they intend to open a summer camp.” That, along with the eerie nautical images, has drawn a lot of comparisons to Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th series. We see Popeye rising out of the water in one image, apparently brandishing an anchor in another, and strangling someone in a third. In the others, he smiles menacingly.

Little else is known about this project so far, but ITN promises a trailer is coming soon. ITN serves as the worldwide distributor, but they haven’t specified whether this movie will get a theatrical release or not. The company has a long history of making childhood classics into horror thrillers, with Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble due out next year to tie them all together.

The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU)

The Poohniverse stems from the 2023 film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, which took social media by storm. It was created when the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise and its characters entered the public domain, allowing artists to work with them without a licensing agreement for the first time. The movie got a mixed critical reception, though it’s outrageous concept drew a lot of fan interest and funded Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, which debuted in March.

The next movie in the burgeoning TCU is Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, due out next year and followed closely by Bambi: The Reckoning. Neither have specific release dates yet, though both are listed in post-production. The next movie is Pinocchio: Unstrung which is listed as “filming,” followed by the big crossover event, Poohniverse. All four movies are expected to premiere in 2025, followed by Blood and Honey 3 in 2026.

RELATED: Why You Should Watch Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (Even if You Didn’t See the First One)

So far, both installments of Blood and Honey got theatrical releases in the U.S., so it seems safe to assume that the rest of the TCU will play on the big screen as well. Since Popeye is not a part of the franchise, its future is less certain. Blood and Honey and its sequel are both streaming now on Peacock.