Terrifier’s David Howard Thornton (yes, Art the Clown himself!) is heading into the public domain horror sphere, with Variety reporting today that the actor has been cast as Steamboat Willie in the upcoming Mickey Mouse horror-comedy, Screamboat from director Steven LaMorte.
Screamboat was announced earlier this year, just a few months after Steamboat Willie (the earliest iteration of Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse) entered the public domain.
The film will be released via Iconic Events Releasing, the same company behind Terrifier 2 and the upcoming Terrifier 3.
A plot synopsis reads:
“‘Screamboat follows a group of New Yorkers on a late-night ferry ride that turns deadly when a mischievous mouse begins a rampage, targeting unsuspecting passengers. The unlikely crew must band together to thwart the murderous menace before their relaxing commute turns into a nightmare.”
Variety also let us know that alongside Thornton, Screamboat‘s cast includes Allison Pittel (Stream), Amy Schumacher (The Mean One), Jesse Posey (Teen Wolf), Jesse Kove (Cobra Kai), Rumi C Jean-Louis (Hightown) as well as horror veterans Jarlath Conroy (George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead) and Charles Edwin Powell (The Exorcist III).
In a statement, Thornton expressed his excitement at turning a childhood classic into what will surely be nightmare fuel:
“I’m beyond excited to join this incredible cast and bring Steamboat Willie to life with a horror twist […] Screamboat is going to be a horrific and hilarious big screen thrill ride that fans won’t want to miss.”
Excitingly, special effects will come from Christian Beckman’s Quantum Creation FX, Inc. (The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Book of Boba Fett), with creature design from concept artist Christian Cordella.
Steamboat Willie himself will reportedly be bought to live by “classic practical puppets and traditional prosthetic makeup.”
Since the financial success of Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (which racked up a massive $5.2 million on a $50,000 budget), it looks like public domain horrors are here to stay. Let’s see if Screamboat successfully ruins more childhoods.
Screamboat will debut in theaters in 2025, with distribution by Iconic Events Releasing.
