The horror industry has a new heavyweight to watch. Badlands, the genre division of Thunder Road, has officially greenlit Wildman, a feature film that promises to blend the high-octane action of the John Wick franchise with the primal terror of cryptid folklore. This is not a low-budget indie; this is a major studio-scale project that aims to redefine the monster feature.
The Verdict: A Bold Swing
On the Scream Scale, I’m giving the project a 7.5. The premise is solid: a Bigfoot seeks brutal retribution after hunters kill his younger brother, embarking on a quest to retrieve the body and eliminate the responsible parties. The spec screenplay by Jacob Rainer provides a clear, kinetic narrative spine. With Carson Reeves attached as an executive producer, the project carries significant industry weight. However, without a release date and with the film still in pre-production, the score is held back from a 9.0. We are seeing the potential for a genre landmark, but the execution remains to be proven on the big screen.
The strategic positioning is clear: Badlands is marketing Wildman with a direct comparison to the John Wick series. This signals an intent to create a franchise rather than a one-off. The company is currently promoting Crawlers as its first feature, scheduled for a Halloween season release. Wildman serves as the follow-up, suggesting a pipeline of high-quality genre content. For a data-driven outlet, this is a strong signal of long-term investment in the horror market. The numbers will tell the final story, but the greenlight is a decisive move.
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