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This dark sci-fi film is the latest short to get a movie deal

This dark sci-fi film is the latest short to get a movie deal

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Movie studios are increasingly paying attention to what we're watching online, especially when it comes to possible starting points for new films. Last week, sci-fi short The Leviathan scooped up Neill Blomkamp and Simon Kinberg to transform it into a full movie, and this week we're seeing a similar story happen with a new short film called Sundays. Released earlier this week, Deadline reports that a bidding war immediately started for the right to turn it into a film. Sony, Fox, and Warner Bros. are all said to have been interested, with Warner Bros. winning out in the end. The studio is supposed to start working with director Mischa Rozema on finding writers in a couple weeks.

The short is all about incredible visuals

Sundays is a dark and surreal sci-fi film that's about… well, it's not exactly clear. It takes place in the distant future, and there's something about memory and false realities. This is a film that's all about visuals — there is some story, but it's going to be pretty important for Warner Bros. to grab a strong writer for this. Evidently, though, Rozema knows how to build a vibrant and moody sci-fi world (and how to do it on a budget!), which is a good starting point for an original feature.

The short actually originated from a Kickstarter campaign, so it's taking a long journey from conception to theaters. Back in 2012, Rozema and his production company, PostPanic, raised a little over $51,000 to make Sundays. The money went toward filming in Mexico City and some of the elaborate effects work that's seen all over the short. Rozema had pitched the Kickstarter as a way to make a proof-of-concept for a larger film, which — though it's taken about three years from start to finish — has clearly worked out. It's not stated whether Warner Bros. has simply optioned the rights or if it intends to immediately put this into production, but Deadline makes it sound as though pieces are moving toward Sundays actually becoming a feature.

Rozema elaborates on the concept for the film in his initial pitch video, which you can view below.