Breakout filmmaker Curry Barker, the writer and director behind the 2026 horror phenomenon Obsession, has shared his creative ambition to helm a dark, R-rated adventure film in the vein of Indiana Jones. Speaking in a recent interview with Gold Derby published on November 3, 2026, the 27-year-old director outlined his desire to strip away the traditional family-friendly guardrails of classic treasure-hunting movies in favor of an extreme, high-stakes thriller. While the concept remains a personal wish rather than an active studio development deal with Disney or Lucasfilm, Barker's comments carry significant weight in Hollywood after Obsession generated more than half a billion dollars at the global box office and launched his production banner into the industry's top tier.

Pushing the Boundaries of the Adventure Genre

Barker's interest in subverting the classic action-adventure template stems from ongoing creative discussions with his longtime producing partner and Obsession co-star, Cooper Tomlinson. As noted in coverage by Yahoo Entertainment, Tomlinson had previously voiced a career goal of reviving the grounded, character-driven Steven Spielberg-style adventure epic reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark. When asked about his collaborator's crusade, Barker confirmed that he wants to take that baseline premise into much darker territory.

"I would want to do a really f--ked up, rated-R version of [Indiana Jones]," Barker told Gold Derby. "I want to do a crazy adventure movie. That's something that Cooper and I have talked about, because we feel like we've never seen something like that; we've only ever seen the family-friendly version. But what happens if two regular guys, or one regular guy, goes on a quest that turns crazy? Literally pushing the boundaries of that genre would be fun for me."

Rather than centering on a seasoned archeologist or superheroic academic, Barker's theoretical approach focuses on ordinary individuals thrust into lethal, escalating circumstances. The director has quickly built a reputation for taking familiar premises and twisting audience expectations—a skill he told MovieMaker defines his core storytelling sensibilities.

From Micro-Budget Horror to a Half-Billion-Dollar Box Office Run

The industry's keen attention to Barker's next moves is a direct result of the unprecedented financial return of Obsession. Prior to the film's breakout success, Barker and Tomlinson—who met at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy—built a following by acting and directing in YouTube videos and crafting the independent feature Milk & Serial.

Shot in Los Angeles on a production budget reported by Next Best Picture at $750,000 (and broadly cited across trade publications as costing less than $1 million), Obsession blew the doors off its Midnight Madness premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Following a heated bidding war, Focus Features acquired the movie for $12 million and released it theatrically in May 2026.

The film follows a music-store employee named Bear (played by Michael Johnston) who is too afraid to confess his feelings to his coworker Nikki (Inde Navarrette) and instead uses a mysterious novelty toy called the "One Wish Willow" to make her fall in love with him, sparking a bizarre and dangerous spiral centered on free will. Driven by intense word-of-mouth among Gen Z audiences, the feature became one of the most profitable theatrical releases in cinema history.

Trade outlets have reported slightly differing global box-office totals as the film's theatrical run progressed. According to Variety, Obsession grossed $519 million worldwide, with Yahoo Entertainment noting that $263 million came from the domestic box office alone. Meanwhile, Next Best Picture cited a global total of $523 million, NME reported more than $525 million, and the Sydney Morning Herald cited over $739 million.

Regardless of the exact accounting, the film's performance has vaulted it directly into the 2026 Academy Awards conversation. Following a landmark prior awards season for horror—which saw Ryan Coogler's Sinners earn 16 Oscar nominations and four wins, alongside Amy Madigan's Best Supporting Actress victory for Zach Cregger's Weapons—Obsession is competing for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, while Navarrette has surged in the Best Actress race following a recent Halloween hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.

What Is Confirmed Next on Curry Barker's Slate

While an R-rated adventure epic remains on the wishlist, Barker's immediate production calendar is already locked in. In the wake of Obsession, Navarrette landed the role of Rogue in Marvel's upcoming X-Men reboot, and Barker signed an eight-figure overall deal with Universal and Blumhouse.

Just ahead of Halloween 2026, Barker debuted a surprise short film titled Mama Bear exclusively on YouTube in partnership with Windows. For theatrical audiences, his next feature-length directorial effort is Anything But Ghosts, a horror-comedy backed by Focus Features, Blumhouse, and Atomic Monster scheduled for theatrical release on May 7, 2027. Co-written by Barker and Tomlinson, the film follows a group of fame-seeking, wannabe paranormal investigators who find themselves in over their heads. Barker and Tomlinson will co-lead the cast alongside Bryce Dallas Howard, Aaron Paul, Violet McGraw, and Chris Reinacher.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Curry Barker officially directing a new Indiana Jones movie?

No. Barker's comments to Gold Derby represent a personal creative ambition rather than an official studio pitch, rights acquisition, or commissioned project with Lucasfilm or Disney. It is also unspecified whether he would pursue a licensed franchise entry or an original adventure story inspired by the genre.

Will there be an extended cut of Obsession?

Possibly. According to NME, Barker revealed that he has approximately 20 minutes of additional footage from Obsession and would like to release a longer version of the movie down the line, though he still considers the current theatrical version to be his true director's cut.

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