20th Century Studios has tapped Academy Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4, Transformers One) to write the live-action feature adaptation of the breakout survival horror video game 99 Nights in the Forest.

The project marks the Disney subsidiary’s first venture into adapting a video game property for the big screen. 20th Century Studios initially acquired the theatrical rights in a clean, competitive deal earlier this year before attaching horror veteran Sam Raimi and longtime producing partner Rob Tapert to produce through their banner.

Developed by New Zealand-based indie studio Grandma’s Favourite Games and hosted on the Roblox platform, 99 Nights in the Forest debuted in 2025 and became a viral gaming sensation. The game ranks as the seventh-most-played title in Roblox history, amassing nearly 26 billion lifetime visits. The gameplay centers on an action-survival premise where players must endure 99 consecutive nights within a hostile, haunted woodland, fending off monstrous creatures while attempting to rescue four missing children.

Alec Kieft, Matthew Hufton, and Cameron Angland of Grandma’s Favourite Games serve as executive producers on the film alongside Romel Adam (Evil Dead Rise) and Jose Cañas (Play Dead).

Cooley, a Pixar veteran, received an Oscar nomination for co-writing Inside Out (2015) before taking home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature with his directorial debut, Toy Story 4 (2019). He most recently directed Paramount Animation’s fully CG-animated prequel Transformers One. Cooley’s pitch secured the assignment after 20th Century executives heard takes from several screenwriters across the summer.