Attach John Goodman’s name to anything, and it’ll instantly be made 50-100% better because of it — under-cooked meals, the flu, anything — but movies and TV are obviously where he thrives. Most known for his work on Roseanne, The Conners, The Big Lebowski and other comedic projects, Goodman is no stranger to playing serious for dramas and thrillers, but it’s not often he aligns himself with the horror genre. So blessed be this exception to the norm.
The Emmy-winning thesp has signed on for a role in the offbeat creature feature Skeletons, which was already high on my list of upcoming horror movies, as it’s the latest directorial effort from JT Moller, whose 2024 sophomore effort Strange Darling was a low-budget, high-octane thriller that won over critics and audiences. (It’s currently streaming on Paramount+.)
Mollner also scripted 2025’s Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, helmed by Francis Lawrence, further speaking to his horror-leaning vibes. I was admittedly less familiar with his 2016 debut Outlaws and Angels, but already feel like I’ll watch anything this guy brings to the big screen. Especially if John Goodman is front and center.
What’s more, Goodman is joining a cast of talents who are quite familiar with indie productions:
- Brie Larson
- Kyle Gallner
- Willa Fitzgerald
- Ione Skye
- Daithí Ó Haragáin
As far as what Skeletons is actually about, it’s being described as a modern-day take on creature-feature horrors, centering on a young boy who gradually comes to the horrific conclusion that his loving parents have been keeping secrets about what his mother really is.
The film is based on a short story written by Phillip Fracassi, with a screenplay initially penned by Brian Duffield, who helmed the impending 2026 movie release Whalefall. (JT Mollner also took a revision pass on the script.) Sony Pictures reportedly paid upwards of $25 million to land distribution rights, with several A-tier producers such as Roy Lee and J.J. Abrams.
Speaking of, Abrams produced one of John Goodman’s most noteworthy horror projects to date, 2016’s stealth sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane. For one reason or another, the actor has largely steered clear from straightforward horror movies, and opts more for multi-genre projects such as 1990’s Arachnophobia, 1998’s Fallen, 2011’s Red State, and 2019’s Captive State.
Skeletons also marks the third time Goodman and Brie Larson will share the screen in a feature. They first co-starred in Rupert Wyatt’s 2014 crime thriller The Gambler, and then worked together again (and again with Wyatt) for 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. Something tells me Skeletons‘ big reveal won’t be about the kid’s mom being a secret blackjack dealer or giant ape.
Skeletons is currently in production, and will hopefully be among the movies hitting theaters in 2027, but stay tuned.