Call Sheet Media acquires sci-fi horror feature The Cursed

Call Sheet Media has acquired The Cursed, a future-set sci-fi horror feature from award-winning author Costi Gurgu. The project blends alien mythology, body horror and survival stakes, with a screenplay already named a finalist in three competitions.

Why it matters: - The acquisition gives Call Sheet Media a genre property built for sci-fi horror fans, with a mix of space adventure, mythology and body horror. - The story centers on a high-concept hook: an ancient “curse” that is actually an alien bioparasite tied to lost civilization technology. - The project adds another screen adaptation prospect to Costi Gurgu’s growing literary and screenplay profile.

What happened: - Call Sheet Media acquired The Cursed, a future-set sci-fi horror feature from award-winning author Costi Gurgu. - The announcement was made Aug. 17, 2026, in Los Angeles. - The film follows Jo Warwick, a future archeologist who activates an ancient bone-weapon and becomes host to a dormant alien bioparasite. - Red sigils spread across Jo Warwick’s body, she falls into a coma, and the parasite’s transformation begins aboard a ship.

The details: - The parasite awakens in the presence of Dark Matter Core technology. - Jo Warwick’s touch can transmit the transformation to others, turning victims into insectile monsters. - Jo Warwick and Toshi Hunter race across a dangerous future universe to find the origin of a lost civilization, extract an antidote and stop a resurrected alien god. - The story also includes a hunted pirate crew and hostile forces led by Comet, Captain Vandermeer and Rotto. - Call Sheet Media described the project as a sci-fi horror property with the scale of an interstellar treasure hunt and the threat of a biological nightmare. - The project’s tagline is: “The Gods are not dead. They’re waiting in the dark between the stars.” - Gurgu’s fiction has appeared in Canada, the United States and Europe. - Gurgu has sold nine books and more than fifty stories and has earned thirty-seven fiction awards. - Gurgu has been a three-time finalist for the Canadian Aurora Awards and a multiple finalist in screenplay competitions. - RecipeArium won the Kult, Nemira and Vladimir Colin awards and was a 2018 Aurora Awards finalist. - Gurgu’s novels Servitude, Green Corrosion, Pink Corrosion and Black Corrosion were published between 2022 and 2025. - Green Corrosion won the Book Excellence Award, The Typesmith Writers Award, The International Impact Book Award and the Maincrest Media Award. - The Cursed, Gurgu’s latest novel, launched on April 1, 2026. - The screenplay version of The Cursed has already been named a finalist in three screenplay competitions. - Gurgu previously worked as a lawyer, art director for Playboy Magazine and other publications, and later as a user experience designer.

Between the lines: - Call Sheet Media is betting on a property that combines familiar genre pieces — pirates, lost civilizations and alien gods — into a package that can travel beyond one audience segment. - The emphasis on mythology and body horror suggests the project is being positioned as both commercially accessible and visually aggressive. - Gurgu’s award history and multi-region publication record give the adaptation built-in credibility for buyers and audiences.

What's next: - Call Sheet Media will develop the acquisition into a screen project, with the company highlighting the story’s commercial hook and cinematic scope. - The screenplay’s existing finalist placements could help support next-stage packaging or financing conversations. - The company’s announcement included links to its social channels: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X.

The bottom line: - Call Sheet Media is moving on a sci-fi horror feature with a strong logline, award-winning source material and a ready-made franchise-style universe.