Youtuber, director, actor, screenwriter, Emmy nominee, and soon to be film producer, Mark Fischbach (more commonly known as “Markiplier” to his 35.5 million subscribers) is set to make his Hollywood debut by the end of this year with his upcoming sci-fi horror film Iron Lung. Originally released as an indie horror game developed by David Szymanski on March 10, 2022, Iron Lung follows an unnamed convict tasked with exploring an ocean of blood on a desolate planet in a worn-down submarine known as “The Iron Lung.”
Announced on April 21, 2023, the film’s trailer garnered millions of views and great expectations within only a few weeks. What sets Iron Lung apart is its unique use of elements such as fear of the unknown, imagination, and claustrophobia–all amalgamated into one horrifying experience. Thanks to Fishbach’s large-scale audience, the announcement caught everyone’s attention, making it one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2023, along with the likes of “Five Nights at Freddy’s”
However, Fishbach would soon see his project be compared with an unfortunate occurrence–one that would take the media by storm. Only 2 months after the trailer’s initial release, a submersible carrying five individuals would implode, killing all passengers immediately. The “Titan” was a submersible that was used to dive to and from the remnants of the Titanic's wreckage and had seen a measly 13 successful voyages to the wreckage out of an attempted 90.
The catastrophe bore a striking similarity to the premise of the movie and would soon shed even more light on the project. All of this added attention resulted in more anticipation of the movie, which in turn added to the pressure of delivering a good piece of creative media.
The Iron Lung video game (2022) also saw a sudden spike in sales due to the “Titan” incident, which was followed by Syzmanski stating, “This feels so wrong,”with an image attached showcasing the spike in sales.
He also added, “I made Iron Lung the most nightmarish thing I could think of and knowing real people are in that situation right now is pretty horrific. Nobody should have to die like that.”
It’s interesting to see the ramifications that the Titan will have not only on the audience’s perception of the movie, but also on the team working on it. It will also be intriguing to see how speculative media coverage as well as additional anticipation will affect the success of the movie itself.
Unlike Szymanski, Fishbach hasn’t addressed the Titan–making it evident that he’s only focused on delivering a compelling narrative that conveys his hard work and passion.
Amidst all the speculation, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike has also had an effect on the scheduled release of the movie as Fishbach–a member of the group–states, “I’m all for the strike,” while also stating it’s confusing as he’s unsure if it’s okay to continue working on the movie.
Clarifying that it’s a solo project with no further involvement of other corporations, “It's not like there's a production company making my movie, it's just me,” Fishbach said.Although unclear, the movie will still probably release in late 2023 or early 2024 at latest, as Fishbach revealed only eight days after the trailer was released that filming had been completed and only editing the movie remained.
In my opinion, it’s important to look past all the negative media coverage, drama, and speculation that surrounds the movie and remind yourself to consume it as it’s meant to be–like any other form of media that was made with passion, love and effort.
Image courtesy of PC Gamer.