Two of cinemas fastest rising stars are stepping into the pages of Cormac McCarthy’s world. Jacob Elordi and Lily-Rose Depp are set to star in Outer Dark, a dark, Depression-era movie directed by Oscar-winner Laszlo Nemes, and based on the McCarthy's 1968 Southern Gothic novel. Keep reading for everything we know about Outer Dark so far.
What is Outer Dark about?
If you were hoping for something of a Nosferatu-meets-Saltburn crossover, think again. Described by the filmmakers as a “dark fairytale,” Outer Dark is set in Depression-era Appalachia, and follows a young woman who gives birth to her brother’s child. When he abandons the infant in the woods and lies about its death, she embarks on a desperate journey to find the baby — unaware that three terrifying, otherworldly strangers are trailing them both. Like much of McCarthy’s writing, it’s a landscape soaked in silence, violence, and existential dread.
Who is involved?
Leading the charge is, of course, Elordi and Depp. Depp is coming off the success of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, while Elordi is continuing to defy genres, having recently starred in Justin Kurzel’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Emerald Fennell’s upcoming Wuthering Heights, as well as reviving his role in season three of Euphoria.
Behind the scenes, director Nemes co-wrote the screenplay with Clara Royer, and said he had long dreamed of adapting Outer Dark for the screen.
“Since reading Outer Dark the first time, it has been my dream to make it into a film, and to find the appropriate cinematic language that would do justice to Cormac McCarthy’s evocative and cosmological work. Joined by two magnetic actors, I now feel it’s possible. The extraordinary source material is a profound inspiration to build a unique world that vibrates with life and death at the same time. An exciting road-movie, a terrible and beautiful journey into the labyrinth of the human soul – this is the ambition I have for Outer Dark," he said in a statement.
For those unfamiliar with his work, the Hungarian filmmaker previously stunned the world with Son of Saul, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
When will Outer Dark come out?
Production on Outer Dark is expected to begin in 2026, with Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos producing alongside Nemes. With that timeline in mind, we're eyeing off a mid-2027 release date. We'll keep you updated as we know more.
