Until Dawn Film Adaptation Features a New Story and Cast of Characters

Sony has revealed its movie adaptation of beloved PlayStation horror game Until Dawn will feature a new story and cast of characters separate from the original game's.

Ashley Brucks, president of Sony's film division Screen Gems, said during a CES 2025 presentation that Until Dawn will still respect the source material, however, and actor Peter Stormare, who played Doctor Hill in the original game and plays an unknown character in the film, said this approach works for dedicated fans and newcomers.

"I have been lucky to be part of Until Dawn since the original, incredible, super terrifying game, and what's why I'm so excited to be part of this film, because the whole thing is a love letter to horror, and it completely honors the spirit of the game," Stormare said.

"The movie is going to be full of fresh characters and victims in a brand new story loaded with twists, so whether you're a longtime fan or discovering it for the first time, get ready for Until Dawn like you've never seen it before."

Brucks expanded on how the film was adapted, insisting it honors the original Until Dawn despite being a fresh take on the premise. The original game followed eight teenagers spending a spooky night in the woods, with players' choices determining who lived and died.

"The key to successful adapting these games comes down to one thing: respecting the source material," Brucks said. "Our close collaboration with PlayStation Productions gives us and our filmmakers the advantage of working directly with the creators of the game.

"It's a careful balance of trying to identify and incorporate what the fans love about the game and the experience as well as offering something fresh and exciting to entice newcomers. In adapting Until Dawn, filmmaker David F. Sandberg, who is a big fan of the widely acclaimed game, took the essence of what makes the game great and selected elements we think are the most important to the fans and paid homage to it in the right way.

"We then built out Until Dawn's universe, using the core premise of a group of friends who encounter a variety of terrifying threats to tell a new story that is truly visceral and horrifying."

Comments on expanding Until Dawn's universe are familiar to those who played the PlayStation 5 remake which, despite suffering a rough launch, introduced a new ending to the game that appeared to set up a sequel.

Additional scenes, and spoiler warning for the new ending which arrived in October 2024, were added at the end of both Josh and Sam's "good" endings.

A cutscene shows Josh, played by Rami Malek, survive the wendigo encounter while a voiceover from Stormare's Doctor Hill, the therapist who speaks with him and the player between each chapter, talks of Josh finally finding redemption.

The larger of the two scenes is what some players believe sets up a sequel, however. It's the first scene not set within the single night the rest of Until Dawn takes place in, instead showing Sam, played by Hayden Panettiere, years later.

Aptly waking up at dawn in her Los Angeles apartment, with medicine and a book about myths on her bedside table, Sam swipes to unlock her phone and blood smears across the screen. She opens her palm and sees blood trickling down from a nasty scar on her arm that doesn't quite appear to be real. Following a knock at the door and further wipes at her arm, a voice from behind her whispers "Sam" before the scene cuts to black.

The Until Dawn film could therefore offer other tie ins to a new game, or be a full sequel itself, though original developer Supermassive Games hasn't indicated that another game is coming. Fans don't have too long to wait before seeing what the adaptation entails, as it arrives April 25, 2025.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.