This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Alexandrea Ciardella. Find her on Instagram at @a6ysma1. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
If you’re in the YouTube gaming sphere, you’ve probably seen the game Iron Lung rise and fall in popularity around the Spring of 2022. For those of you unaware, it’s a survival horror game set in a submarine deep beneath an ocean, where you must navigate and map out the depths to earn your freedom. Created by independent developer David Szymanski, this game has been set for a movie adaptation expected to be released this year. Mark Fischbach- better known by his alias ‘Markiplier’ on YouTube- is finishing production on the Iron Lung film, and this movie could spell huge things for the future of independent content creators.
(Before we begin, I would like to credit Weird Marketing for most of the information provided in this article)
Iron Lung is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where all the stars and planets have disappeared and the only people who remain are trying to find organic resources submerged in “blood oceans” on distant moons. As the player, you are trapped in a submarine dubbed the “Iron Lung”, unable to see out of the window in front of you, relying on sonar and photographs to navigate. For a few months in 2022, the game captivated the gaming sphere- Fischbach himself even uploaded a few playthroughs of the game. In early 2023, Fischbach and Szymanski simultaneously announced that they were working on a film version of the game. But you may be asking, what makes Iron Lung so special? Film versions of games are nothing new, Fischbach isn’t even the first YouTuber-turned-director trying to break into the industry. But the independent nature of the film is what’s important, as it will pave the way for other content creators who want to go into filmmaking.
In the past, content creators have struggled with bigger studios while creating their content. Since content creators rely on their audience for income, they may need to turn to Hollywood studios to fund projects. For instance, the channel Corridor Digital– best known for their VFX skills- was set to direct a movie inspired by the Battlefield game franchise. However, the studio they were partnered with changed the format into a web series and made heavy edits to the script. Corridor Digital faced similar problems when they attempted to produce a horror film, with the studio editing the script to fit a more traditional format. This can be commonly seen in the filmmaking industry, where a content creator’s creative vision suffers at the risk of making money.
Fischbach, on the other hand, has decided to work with a small independent cast and crew for his film (there are only about four actors in the cast, including Fischbach himself). The majority of the roles have been taken up by Fischbach himself, as he has decided to write, produce, direct, star in, and edit the film. And because Fischbach has his hand in nearly every aspect of the film, there’s no risk that his vision will be changed. Does this mean it will be easier for any content creator to make a movie? Well, unless you’re as rich as Markiplier (with a net worth of $38 Million as of 2022), it will still be difficult for smaller creators to produce a Hollywood-quality film. But maybe Iron Lung will help smaller content creators share their visions and allow them a better chance to produce what they want without needing to risk their salaries.
Are you excited to see the Iron Lung film in theaters? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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