Lionsgate acquired Portrait of Goda horror film from emerging genre filmmaker Dylan Clark based on his viral short film of the same name. With One battle after another Chase Infiniti is now on board to star, the project has the green light for production.
Portrait comes to Lionsgate after being turned around by Universal, which acquired a spec of Clark in a competitive situation in December 2025, as we first reported. Lionsgate’s acquisition is natural, given that they gave Clark his major studio directorial debut with a reimagining of the 1999 horror classic. The Blair Witch Projectdated September 24, 202
Portrait of God will mark the first-ever collaboration of producers Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele, two of the biggest names in horror, with Clark directing from a script co-written with Joe Russo (The legacy). Involved in the project since his time at Universal, Raimi is currently set to direct an adaptation of the 1978 horror film. Magic for Lionsgate as his next project.
While the studio is keeping the feature’s plot under wraps, Clark’s short revolves around a young religious woman who discovers the disturbing answer to the question, “What does God look like?” Opening with a quote from the Old Testament – “No man shall see me and live” – it finds Mia sitting in the dark, practicing a slide presentation on a work of art dubbed “Portrait of God”. Some who see the painting perceive it as completely black, she said, while others report seeing a person in the dark – a person who has been described over and over again, in consistent detail.
Minimalist yet menacing, the short film offers a counterpoint to the idea of God as a benevolent entity. It has received over 10 million views on YouTube since its debut in August 2022.
Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce through their Ghost House shingle, as will Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld through their Monkeypaw Productions, and Joe Russo (The legacy). Romel Adam and Jose Cañas will oversee Ghost House. On behalf of Monkeypaw, Chris Rosati serves as executive producer on his first deal with Shingle NAT20 Films. Scott O’Brien will oversee the Lionsgate project, for which Dan Freedman negotiated deals on his behalf.
Adam Fogelson, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, commented: “We are thrilled to deepen our creative partnership with Dylan Clark, whose remarkable talent and distinctive perspective make him one of the most exciting emerging voices in the world of horror. With Sam and Jordan, two of the genre’s most influential producers, the extraordinary Chase Infiniti starring and Dylan at the helm, this is an exceptional creative team. We believe they have all the ingredients for a film haunting, thought-provoking and scary as hell.”
As ObsessionCurry Barker from and Behind the scenesKane Parsons, Clark is a young genre filmmaker who gained industry attention after gaining a large following in the horror space on YouTube. He said: “With Blair WitchI personally witness the trust Lionsgate places in its filmmakers, and I couldn’t be happier that Portrait of God also found a home there. I am also excited to welcome Chase Infiniti to our team. She blew me away One battle after another and he’s one of the most exciting young actors working today.
Infiniti was nominated for Actor Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards for her breakout role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film. One battle after another. She came to the movies after playing a major role alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga in the hit Apple series. Presumed innocent. More recently, she was seen directing The WillsHulu’s sequel to Margaret Atwood’s adaptation The Handmaid’s Taleearning her first Emmy nomination for her work on season 1. While work on the second season is underway, Infiniti will also be seen upcoming in The Julia setan independent coming-of-age drama from Niki Byrne that just premiered at TIFF. She is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Clark is repped by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; Russo by Fictional Entity, Untitled, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
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