Backrooms Movie Director Kane Parsons Hopes To Adapt This Outstanding Video Game

A24

Kane Parsons is on top of the world right now. His feature directorial debut "Backrooms" has been ruling the box office en route to becoming A24's biggest domestic box office hit ever in a matter of days. That's just the start. Oh, and Parsons is only 20 years old, with everyone in Hollywood now eager to work with him. So, what is he going to do with that cache? Well, if he has his way, he'll make an adaptation of one of the most beloved video game series of the 2000s.

In a recent interview on the podcast "The Town," Parsons initially, flatly said "No" when presented with the prospect of adapting "legacy" IP such as "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Parsons then added, "Barring one or two things from my personal childhood, stuff from the early 2000s, like one or two things really, without naming them out loud."

"Stuff may already be moving a little bit," Parsons admitted when pressed, explaining why he was hesitant to reveal the title. Speculation began. Speculation turned to "Portal," the 2007 video game released by Valve. Then, The New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan, who interviewed Parsons in May for the outlet, took to X/Twitter to add an interesting wrinkle to the situation, writing:

"I've seen people speculate that Kane Parsons is referring to a potential 'Portal' movie here ... I asked him in early May if he'd be interested in directing that, and he said he was already looking into it 'with a lot of caution and a lot of curiosity.'"

A "Portal" movie was being developed by J.J. Abrams and Gabe Newell, the president of Valve, back in 2013. It has lingered in development hell for some time. Could Parsons be the person to finally make it happen? Maybe. Just maybe.

Valve

The first "Portal" game was released by Valve in 2007. It's set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories and focuses on a test subject who wakes up in a scientific facility controlled by a sadistic artificial intelligence. The subject must escape using only a gun that makes portals. Players are, in turn, required to solve physical puzzles and challenges by opening portals, maneuvering objects, and themselves, through increasingly complicated situations.

"Portal 2," which was released in 2011, deepened the world and gameplay and received even more acclaim than the first game did. Kane Parsons was a very young child when these games were out, meaning they were undoubtedly formative for him (in the same way early Nintendo games were for kids of the 1980s).

Interestingly enough, "10 Cloverfield Lane" and "Prey" director Dan Trachtenberg's "Portal: No Escape" short film helped get him noticed in Hollywood back in 2011. Now, all these years later, Parsons, who also got his start on YouTube, has his sights set on an official adaptation of "Portal."

There are a few things to consider. For one, J.J. Abrams said Valve's "Portal" movie was "on the rails" in 2021. That indicated he was still involved. So, Parsons may need to talk with Abrams and Valve if he wants to make this film happen. Of course, with "Backrooms" poised to become one of the biggest movies of 2026, it might not be hard to convince Abrams to take that meeting.

Aside from that, the ending of "Backrooms" absolutely sets up a sequel. Parsons will undoubtedly want to shepherd that himself, which could tie him up for at least another couple of years. We'll see how it all shakes out.

"Backrooms" is in theaters now.