Using a mask he had purchased in Mexico, Keisuke Aisawa (who is also sometimes referred to as Keisuke Aiso) of the special effects company Link Factory created a sculpture of a bird-like woman inspired by a creature from Japanese and Chinese folklore. When images of his sculpture made their way online it became the face of an internet hoax called the Momo Challenge, which said
children and adolescents were being enticed by a user named Momo to perform a series of dangerous tasks including violent attacks, self-harm and suicide.
Aisawa had thrown the crumbling sculpture away by the time the Momo Challenge took off, and he was surprised to see his work being used as part of this hoax. He assured the children of the world that, "Momo is dead – she doesn’t exist and the curse is gone."
But not so fast. The entertainment industry hadn't had their chance to profit off of this viral story by the time Aisawa made that statement. One Momo movie, GETAWAY, has already gone into production, and now Orion Pictures is teaming with IT producer Roy Lee's Vertigo Entertainment and Taka Ichise to make another Momo film.
The announcement for this one says it is based on the original sculpture, so hopefully its creator will be involved with the film on some level.
Roy Lee and Taka Ichise have previously worked together on several horror projects, including the remakes THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER, and SHUTTER.