Heavy metal icon and filmmaker Glenn Danzig is officially expanding his cinematic resume. The rocker is set to direct a big-screen feature film adaptation of his own gothic, medieval horror comic book series, “Hellmask“.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Glenn Danzig will helm the upcoming project, teaming up with writer and director James Cullen Bressack, known for his work on “Fortress” and “Survive The Game“, who is signed on to produce. The production is currently in the middle of its casting process, with principal photography scheduled to begin this August 2026.
The film’s source material originates from Danzig‘s own comic book publishing company, Verotik. The character of “Hellmask” first made his debut in October 2023 as part of the publisher’s 30th-anniversary milestone issue. According to the project’s official description, the story is “set against a brutal medieval backdrop filled with dark magic, armored warriors and massive bloody battle scenes,” following “a violent supernatural tale steeped in gothic atmosphere.”
The announcement of “Hellmask” adds to a busy cinematic lineup for the frontman. Back in April 2022, Glenn Danzig spoke with RadioactiveMike Z, the host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program “Wired In The Empire,” and revealed that he was juggling four distinct movie scripts simultaneously.
“‘The Vampires’ Vengeance‘ is the ‘Death Rider‘ sequel. That’s almost done. Then I’m writing a werewolf biker movie — like one-percenter werewolf bikers, outlaw bikers. Then I’ve got a martial arts movie I’ve been working on for a while with the knife-fighting assassin. And then the ‘Verotika‘ sequel,” he said at the time.
When asked if he intended to continue acting in his own productions, Danzig explained that he prefers to keep his energy focused almost entirely behind the lens. While his character Bad Bathory is slated to return for the “Death Rider” follow-up, fans shouldn’t expect him to make cameos across the rest of his cinematic slate.
“The only one I did a little role in was the ‘Death Rider‘ role, the Bad Bathory role, which is a smaller role, ’cause I just like to concentrate on directing. Yeah, I don’t know. Probably, obviously, in the ‘Death Rider‘ movie, Bad Bathory comes back. But I don’t think in the other ones I’ll be making appearances.”
He continued: “It’s a lot of work doing a movie, especially if you’re writing and directing, ’cause then everybody comes to the director when there’s a problem,” he explained. “And there’s always a million problems on a movie; you don’t even know it. It’s just, like, ‘Wow!’ You come home exhausted, just like ‘Wow!’ I have to say, people — like the actors, all the people on the crew and everything, on the movie — everybody puts a lot of work into doing it. It’s not easy. It’s tough. It’s way more difficult to make a movie [than to make an album],” he revealed.
Danzig‘s upcoming medieval feature follows his established path of adapting his own multi-media creations for the silver screen. In August 2021, the director confirmed that actress Kim Director (“Blair Witch 2“, “The Deuce“) was locked in to reprise her role for the upcoming “Death Rider” sequel, noting: “”The others may or may not come back. If we do the sequel, you’ll have to see it to see who doesn’t come back and who comes back.”
The original “Death Rider In The House Of Vampires” was fully driven by Danzig, who served as writer, director, executive producer, and co-cinematographer alongside Pedja Radenkovic. The unique plot followed the titular character as he traveled into a desert Vampire Sanctuary ruled by Count Holliday, where the mandatory entry fee was a single untouched virgin.
The film featured an eclectic ensemble cast, starring Devon Sawa as the Death Rider, Julian Sands as Count Holliday, and Kim Director as Carmilla Joe. They were joined by Eli Roth as Drac Cassidy, Ashley Wisdom as Mina Belle, Victor DiMattia as Kid Vlad, Danny Trejo as Bela Latigo, and Danzig himself as the vampire gunslinger Bad Bathory.
“Hellmask” will mark Danzig‘s third major foray into feature filmmaking. His directorial debut arrived in 2019 with the anthology film “Verotika“. When it first premiered at the Cinepocalypse festival in Chicago, the movie became an instant cult talking point, drawing widespread comparisons from several reviewers to Tommy Wiseau‘s legendary independent production “The Room” for its highly unconventional and memorable cinematic style.
