Dylan Clark’s horror feature “Portrait of God” has a new home at Lionsgate.
The film, starring Chase Infiniti and adapted from the YouTube horror filmmaker’s short of the same name, was previously lined up by Universal in December. This will be Clark’s second collaboration with Lionsgate, as the emerging filmmaker is set to make his feature debut with a new take on the “Blair Witch Project” franchise. Modern horror icons Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele are on board to produce “Portrait of God.”
“We’re delighted to deepen our creative partnership with Dylan Clark, whose remarkable talent and distinctive perspective make him one of the most exciting emerging voices in horror,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “With Sam and Jordan, two of the genre’s most influential producers, the extraordinary Chase Infiniti starring, and Dylan at the helm, this is an exceptional creative team. We believe they have all the ingredients for a film that is haunting, thought-provoking, and scary as hell.”
This will also be one of the first films to star Infiniti after her breakthrough performance in “One Battle After Another,” which got multiple awards nominations. Infiniti recently led her sophomore feature, “The Julia Set,” which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in September.
“With ‘Blair Witch,’ I’m experiencing firsthand the trust Lionsgate places in its filmmakers, and I couldn’t be happier that ‘Portrait of God’ has found a home there as well. I’m also thrilled to welcome Chase Infiniti to our team,” Clark said in a statement. “She blew me away in ‘One Battle After Another’ and is one of the most exciting young actors working today.”
It’s unclear why Universal let go of the project, which would’ve fit nicely into the studio’s recent portfolio of film projects. Universal’s Focus Features picked up Curry Barker’s “Obsession” out of TIFF 2025 before releasing it in May 2026. That film made more than $500 million, making it the highest-grossing film of all time to cost less than $1 million and the highest-grossing film of all time to be acquired at a film festival. Like “Portrait of God,” “Obsession” is a case of a YouTube horror creator transitioning to feature filmmaking. Universal handled international distribution for the film.
The studio also picked up “River” out of TIFF 2026 in September, another horror feature debut, this time from writer/director Josh Giuliano. That film was previously owned by Shudder and IFC, but Universal and Blumhouse snagged it for more than $10 million after a buzzy debut in Toronto.
Universal Pictures did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“A religious girl prepares a presentation about a painting titled ‘Portrait of God.’ What she sees challenges her beliefs,” a description for the short film reads. You can watch the short, above.
Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce through Ghost House, while Peele and Win Rosenfeld will produce through Monkeypaw Productions. Joe Russo co-wrote the screenplay with Clark and also serves as producer. Romel Adam and Jose Cañas will oversee for Ghost House. Chris Rosati executive produces through his first look deal at NAT20 Films on behalf of Monkeypaw. Scott O’Brien will oversee the project. Dan Freedman negotiated the deals on behalf of the studio.
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