Viral ‘Open Door’ YouTube Short to be Adapted Into Feature, Earns Six-Figure Development Deal (EXCLUSIVE)

By Matt Minton

Matt Minton

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“Open Door,” Kevin Cate‘s viral sci-fi short with nearly 15 million views across YouTube shorts, TikTok and Instagram, will be adapted into a feature-length film through a six-figure development deal.

The news follows the success of breakout horror films “Obsession and “Backrooms” as the industry invests in YouTube creators and younger filmmakers with established audiences.

Cate wrote the spec script based on his short with “IO” screenwriter Charles Spano. With Sean Anthony Baker and Mia Matthews set to reprise their roles from the original three-minute short, “Open Door” follows “the surreal, genre-bending journey of Malcolm Powers,” according to an official statement. The short follows two people on an elevator ride from hell.

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