'Backrooms' Director's Next Movie Could Adapt a Sci-Fi Masterpiece

Erielle Sudario is a Collider News and Feature Author from Australia and has worked in the journalism industry since 2018. She has a passion for entertainment and pop culture news and has interviewed YouTubers, voice actors, film directors, and musicians throughout her career. When she’s not writing, you can see Erielle building keyboards, reading a good book, playing video games, and creating content on social media.

Could another major video game receive a film adaptation? As popular gaming IPs continue to inspire Hollywood, more and more titles that people grew up playing are being transformed into big-screen experiences, with many earning praise from audiences and critics alike. Now, another title could receive the same treatment.

Of all the movies released this year, nearly 10 are based on video games, with the next being The Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for release in December 2026. Meanwhile, fans await Nintendo’s live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link, Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda, and Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf. And it’s not just movies. TV shows have also continued to attract gaming audiences, with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 being one of the most recent releases. What was once considered a massive risk with little reward has evolved into studios putting more effort into capturing the essence of the original games. Video game adaptations now seem to be Hollywood’s go-to strategy for success.

Of all the major video game titles released over the years, some have yet to receive adaptations. One of them was Portal, developed by Valve, the company behind the digital video game marketplace Steam. Recently, however, there have been hints that the game could make its way to the big screen. During an interview on The Kyle Buchanan Show, Backrooms director Kane Parsons was asked about his visit to Valve’s offices and whether he would direct his “dream project.” This is what he had to say:

“They work in experiments, and I like that, because that tends to be how I work. I don’t have a desire to sensationalize anything I may or may not be talking to them about over there, because it’s mainly: Is it possible to make something compelling in some way that we like? What do you guys want to do? What do I want to do? Is there anything on the table in any way, shape, or form? And if it’s not, I would defend a future where we don’t even go down that road, but it’s more like having an abstract creative conversation that could flow in like 30 different directions. If you know the way Valve works, I think they’re looking to experiment more internally than anything that’s going to be talked about. If something cool comes of it, I am sure somehow, people will know.”

“They work in experiments, and I like that, because that tends to be how I work. I don’t have a desire to sensationalize anything I may or may not be talking to them about over there, because it’s mainly: Is it possible to make something compelling in some way that we like? What do you guys want to do? What do I want to do? Is there anything on the table in any way, shape, or form? And if it’s not, I would defend a future where we don’t even go down that road, but it’s more like having an abstract creative conversation that could flow in like 30 different directions. If you know the way Valve works, I think they’re looking to experiment more internally than anything that’s going to be talked about. If something cool comes of it, I am sure somehow, people will know.”

Before Parsons expressed interest in directing a Portal movie, a film adaptation was already in development, but the project had since fallen into development hell. In 2013, it was announced that J.J. Abrams was working on the adaptation. The most recent update came in 2021, when it was reported that the project was still in development, with a script being worked on. However, few details have emerged since then, and no cast or plot details have been announced. Additionally, just like Backrooms, Parsons has already made a Portal animation video called “Portal – Welcome to the Enrichment Center [Animation]”. It was published on Parson’s Kane Pixel’s YouTube channel in 2021 and has over 737,000 views and over 39K likes at the time of writing, where the filmmaker paid tribute to the game that made a huge impact on his “creative style.”

Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.

You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.

• You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
• You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
• Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
• That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.

You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.

• You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
• Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
• Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
• That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.

You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.

• You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
• You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
• Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
• That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.

You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.

• You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
• Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
• You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
• When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.

You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.

• You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
• Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
• Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
• That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.

What’s ‘Portal’ About?

Portal is a 2007 first-person puzzle game in which players solve a series of puzzles using a “portal gun” that allows them to travel between locations through portals. The franchise has two installments, with Portal 2 recieving widespread praise since its 2011 release, earning a Metacritic score of 95 on the PC version and winning multiple awards. Both games feature a silent protagonist named Chell, who faces an artificial intelligence system named GLaDOS, which has a vendetta against her.

Backrooms is available to stream on HBO Max. Follow Collider for more updates.

Backrooms