Universal Sets Dylan Clark To Direct Portrait of God; Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele Team Up as Producers

Universal adapts Dylan Clark’s viral horror short Portrait of God with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele producing. (Deadline)

Universal Sets Dylan Clark to Direct Portrait of God Feature; Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele to Produce

Universal Pictures has acquired Portrait of God in a competitive situation, setting filmmaker Dylan Clark to direct the feature-length adaptation of his 2022 viral horror short. The project marks the first collaboration between producers Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele, who will oversee the film under Ghost House Pictures and Monkeypaw Productions, respectively.

The short film, which has generated over 8.6 million views on YouTube, centers on a religious young woman who presents a mysterious painting known as the “Portrait of God.” According to viewers in the story, the image appears completely black to some, while others claim to see a figure in the darkness described the same way across multiple accounts. The short opens with the Old Testament line “No man shall see Me and live,” framing the encounter as something lethal and unknowable. The feature-length plot is being kept under wraps.

Clark co-wrote the script with Joe Russo (The Inheritance). Win Rosenfeld will produce for Monkeypaw along with Peele, with Romel Adam producing for Ghost House alongside Raimi. Chris Rosati will executive produce, with Sam Evenson co-producing. Jose Cañas will oversee the film for Ghost House, Kate Oh will oversee for Monkeypaw, and Universal’s Sara Scott will manage the project for the studio.

Clark, not to be confused with the producer of The Batman, is a genre filmmaker who has built a substantial following in the online horror space. His work frequently touches on themes connected to religion and technology. He grew up between Germany and Austria and studied film production and screenwriting at Ithaca College. Clark is also developing a feature adaptation of his short film Story Time, with Zak Olkewicz and LD Entertainment producing. He is represented by 3 Arts, UTA, and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.

Monkeypaw recently released Him, directed by Justin Tipping and starring Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans. Peele’s next directorial project, previously planned to follow Nope, has been pushed from Universal’s schedule. Ghost House recently completed production on Play Dead and Evil Dead Burn, with Sébastien Vanicek directing the latter for a July 24, 2026 release. The company is also developing an untitled seventh Evil Dead installment to be written and directed by Francis Galluppi. Raimi is represented by CAA and by Stewart Brookman and Mahdi Salehi at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

Russo is represented by Untitled Entertainment, Fictional Entity, and Yorn Levine.