Mandela Catalogue Film
Steven Spielberg Set to Produce Film Adaptation of Viral YouTube Series The Mandela Catalogue
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Key Points
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The Alternates in Mandela Catalogue are described as able to manipulate audiovisual media—including TVs, computers and GPS systems—to influence people.
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The antagonists are said to be led by a false depiction of the Archangel Gabriel, framing the threat around a religious iconography twist.
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Paper Street Pictures, the boutique development and production house behind Revival and Shelby Oaks, is a key partner in the project’s production
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The project’s deal was negotiated by Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists’ Sarah Vacchiano, highlighting the cross-studio collaboration involved in securing the rights.
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The Mandela Catalogue is being placed in the company of other defining analog horror titles, alongside Local 58 and The Backrooms, as Hollywood stakes its claim on the format.
Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, United Artists, and Amazon MGM Studios are teaming up to bring YouTube horror series The Mandela Catalogue to the big screen, IGN reports. The deal came after an intense bidding war involving 11 studios, signaling just how hot analog horror has become in Hollywood.
Creator Alex Kister will direct the feature and co-write the screenplay with Tyler Clifton. Since its 2021 launch, the series has racked up well over 100 million views on YouTube, according to Fangoria.
What The Mandela Catalogue Is Actually About
The Mandela Catalogue is an analog horror series set in Mandela County, Wisconsin. It follows a terrifying invasion by creatures called Alternates — beings that mimic humans. The Alternates can hijack TVs, computers, and GPS systems to manipulate and deceive people, according to Comic Book.
The central villain is a false version of the Archangel Gabriel. That religious twist gives the series a unique, unsettling edge. It sets the story apart from other analog horror titles like Local 58 and The Backrooms, which also explore dread through fake broadcasts and found footage.
11 Studios Fought Over This YouTube Horror Franchise
The bidding war for The Mandela Catalogue drew 11 competing studios before United Artists and Amblin won out. Geek Tyrant reported that the deal was negotiated by Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists' Sarah Vacchiano. That level of competition is rare even for established IP, let alone a YouTube series.
The production team is stacked. Steven Spielberg and Holly Bario produce for Amblin. Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt produce for United Artists. Aaron B. Koontz joins through Paper Street Pictures, the boutique house behind horror films Revival and Shelby Oaks. Kister and Clifton also serve as producers.
Kister Keeps Creative Control Over His Own World
Alex Kister built The Mandela Catalogue alone as an independent creator. Getting to direct the feature himself is a significant win. Hollywood often sidelines original creators when adapting web properties. Here, Kister co-wrote the script and will sit in the director's chair, per IGN.
Annie McCreery will oversee the project for United Artists. Maria Fortese will oversee for Amblin. Having a creator-driven team in place early suggests the studios want to protect what made the series go viral in the first place.
Hollywood Is Betting Big on Analog Horror
The Mandela Catalogue is part of a wave of online horror properties drawing studio attention. Fangoria placed it alongside Local 58 and The Backrooms as a defining title in the analog horror genre. The Backrooms also has a film adaptation in development, showing studios are moving fast on the format.
Analog horror uses fake retro media — old TV broadcasts, VHS tapes, public access footage — to create dread. It thrives on YouTube and has built massive audiences with no traditional studio backing. Hollywood's 11-studio scramble for The Mandela Catalogue shows just how seriously the industry now takes web-born horror.
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