New York City is set to battle a plague of rats in an upcoming survival horror.
Lionsgate and producer Paul Brooks (“Pitch Perfect,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) have partnered on worldwide rights to the new project — entitled, simply, “Rats!” — with Lionsgate set to launch sales in Cannes.
More from Variety
Lionsgate Ups Taylor Du Pont to Head of TV Post-Production as Bobby Williams Retires
Lionsgate Shareholders Approve Split-Up of Studios, Starz Businesses
Lionsgate Taps Media Veteran Brad Haugen as EVP, Digital Strategy and Growth
The deal follows the studio’s previous collaboration with Brooks on the 2022 horror film “Prey for the Devil.”
“Rats!” comes from director Todd Strauss-Schulson, whose credits include the Rebel Wilson rom-com “Isn’t It Romantic,” comedy slasher “The Final Girls” and buddy stoney sequel “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.” Strauss-Schulson was also behind the viral melancholic short film “Rat,” shot in the lockdown of 2020.
“Rats!” appears to something altogether different according to the synopsis, putting New York City in a “race against time to stop a killer rat infestation unlike anything the world has ever seen.”
Strauss-Schulson directs from a script he co-wrote with Paul Sado, who penned the Netflix animated feature “Leo,” starring Adam Sandler and Bill Burr, and “The Cobbler,” directed by Tom McCarthy and starring Sandler, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Buscemi and Ellen Barkin.
Alongside Brooks, producers on “Rats!” include Jason Fuchs and Adam Fishbach. Fuchs is the co-creator and co-showrunner of HBO’s upcoming “It” prequel series “Welcome to Derry” and was a co-producer on “It Chapter Two.” Fishbach, meanwhile, was exec producer on “Argylle,” “Smile” and “Narcos.”
Strauss-Schulson is represented by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Range Media Partners, and attorney Greg Slewett at JSSK. Sado is represented by TFC Management and Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn.
Best of Variety
Oscars Predictions 2026: ‘Sinners’ Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
What’s Coming to Netflix in May 2025
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
