Leah McKendrick to write and direct a monster movie for Universal Pictures and Atomic Monster

M.F.A. screenwriter Leah McKendrick recently wrote the initial screenplay for the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel that’s set to reach theatres on July 18, 2025. Her script for that project has since been rewritten by director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) and Time magazine’s Sam Lansky – and while the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel heads into production for Sony and Columbia Pictures, McKendrick has set up another horror project at Universal Pictures. She will be writing and directing an untitled monster movie for the studio, with James Wan’s company Atomic Monster producing.

As of right now, McKendrick’s monster movie doesn’t appear to be a reboot of an older Universal Monsters property along the lines of The Mummy, The Invisible Man, or The Wolf Man. Details are being kept under wraps, but Deadline was able to learn that McKendrick’s story is “based in folklore” and “revolves around a mythical monster.” We’ll have to wait to find out more information on the creature at the center of this feature.

James Wan is producing the film, with Michael Clear and Judson Scott serving as executive producers. Alayna Glasthal is overseeing the project for Atomic Monster.

McKendrick made her directorial debut with the 2023 comedy Scrambled, which she also wrote and starred in. She’s primarily known as an actor, having racked up 50 screen acting credits over the last 17 years, with roles in the likes of How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, Bad Moms, Bad People, All I Need, Criminal Minds, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, A Nice Girl Like You, Wish Upon a Unicorn, and Baby Steps. She co-wrote the 2019 thriller Deviant Love and the series Destroy the Alpha Gammas, which she also starred in, and has a few other projects in the works: Mrs. Claus, which she wrote for Hello Sunshine (with Jennifer Garner attached to star); Summer Lovin’, a prequel to Grease, for Paramount, Temple Hill, and Picturestart; and Double Knot, for Sony and Hello Sunshine.

Are you interested in seeing a Universal monster movie that’s written and directed by Leah McKendrick, with James Wan producing? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.