==Cast==
==Cast==
* [[Markiplier|Mark Fischbach]] – The Convict / Simon
* [[Markiplier|Mark Fischbach]]
* Caroline Rose Kaplan – Ava
* Caroline Rose Kaplan Ava
* [[David Szymanski]]
* [[David Szymanski]]
* Elsie Lovelock
* Elsie Lovelock
* [[Elle LaMont]]<ref name=”:2″ /><ref name=”:3″ />
* [[Elle LaMont]]<ref name=”:2″ /><ref name=”:3″ />
* Kazuki Jalal<ref name=”:2″ /><ref name=”:3″ />
* Kazuki Jalal<ref name=”:2″ /><ref name=”:3″ />
2026 film by Mark Fischbach
| Iron Lung | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg)
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Mark Fischbach |
| Written by | Mark Fischbach |
| Based on | Iron Lung by David Szymanski |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Philip Roy |
| Edited by | Mark Fischbach |
| Music by | Andrew Hulshult |
|
Production |
Markiplier Studios |
|
Release date |
|
|
Running time |
127 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Iron Lung is a 2026 American science fiction horror film written, directed, executive produced, edited by, and starring Mark Fischbach in his feature directorial debut. Produced by Markiplier Studios, it is an adaptation of the 2022 video game by David Szymanski, and also stars Caroline Rose Kaplan, Seán McLoughlin, Szymanski, Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock, and Isaac McKee in supporting roles.
Development on a Iron Lung film adaptation began in April 2023, when Fischbach, better known as Markiplier on YouTube, announced he would be adapting the game into film. Fischbach, who had previously played Iron Lung on his channel, stated the film would be self-written, self-financed, and star himself alongside Kaplan. Szymanski also confirmed that he had been involved with the film since pre-production, assisting with its screenplay and being on set during filming, and that he would have a small cameo in the film. Fischbach also co-produced alongside Will Hyde and Jeff Guerrero.
Iron Lung was released on January 30, 2026.
The film is set in a post-apocalyptic future after an event known as “The Quiet Rapture” caused all known stars and habitable planets in the universe to disappear. A convict (Mark Fischbach) is sent to explore an ocean of blood discovered on a desolate moon using a poorly constructed midget submarine nicknamed the “Iron Lung”.[2]
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On February 16, 2023, David Szymanski joked on Twitter that Mark Fischbach and Seán McLoughlin (known by their online usernames Markiplier and Jacksepticeye, respectively) would be starring in a film adaptation of the game Iron Lung which Fischbach and McLoughlin both played, with a soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult, slated for a summer release.[8][9] In an interview with Variety on March 8, 2023, Fischbach confirmed he was directing, writing, and acting for a film, but did not state what it was.[10] On May 7, 2023, McLoughlin confirmed on Twitter that he would be in the film.[11][better source needed] Szymanski has assisted with the script and pre-production of the film, and is also set to have a cameo in the film.[9] Andrew Hulshult was also confirmed to be scoring the film.[12] Iron Lung is the first film soundtrack that Hulshult worked on.[13]
On April 21, 2023, Fischbach officially announced a film adaptation of Iron Lung with the release of a teaser trailer.[2][14][15] Additionally, Deadline Hollywood reported that Fischbach was also self-financing the film, co-starring with Caroline Rose Kaplan, and producing with Will Hyde and Jeff Guerrero; filming had already commenced in Austin, Texas.[16] Szymanski confirmed the film was intended for a theatrical release,[17] marking the film as Fischbach’s first theatrical film; he previously directed and wrote the YouTube Original interactive films A Heist with Markiplier (2019) and In Space with Markiplier (2022).[16]
Fischbach’s makeup designer Anna Fugate documented that pre-production began February 7, 2023, filming began on March 7, and principal photography ended on May 1.[18] The film was shot at Troublemaker Studios.[19]
During production, Fischbach confirmed that Iron Lung will contain the most fake blood of any horror film, beating 2013 film Evil Dead‘s 50,000 US gallons (190,000 L);[20][21] during filming, he went to the hospital due to getting too much fake blood in his eyes.[22] In a YouTube livestream posted on December 7, 2025 he revealed that the approximate amount of blood for the final movie was over 80,000 US gallons (300,000 L).[19]
On April 29, 2023, Fischbach announced on his YouTube channel that filming had been completed, marking the beginning of the editing and post-production process.[23] In July 2023, Fischbach revealed that he is a member of SAG-AFTRA, and that the production of Iron Lung would be delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[24][25] After filming was completed, Valkyrae was cast in a voice role.[26]
On October 14, 2023, Fischbach published the official trailer of the movie on his YouTube channel.[27][28] On October 16, in a livestream on his YouTube channel, he stated that he had turned down a role in Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) in order to produce Iron Lung, due to the two films having conflicting production schedules.[29]
In June 2024, Fischbach announced that the film was “officially done”, and that he was in the process of negotiating the film’s release.[30] On December 5, 2025, Fischbach announced the film’s release date with a trailer as ticket pre-sales began.[31][32] Despite initially releasing in only 60 theaters nationwide, Fischbach encouraged fans to contact their local theaters and request the movie if they wanted to see it, eventually expanding the film’s release to over 4,100 locations worldwide.[32][33]
Iron Lung was released in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom,[34] Ireland,[35] Australia,[36] and New Zealand[37] on January 30, 2026.[38] The film will be released that same day in Germany, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by Piece of Magic Entertainment.[39]
- ^ “Iron Lung [MA 15+]”. Australian Classification Board. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ^ a b Wolinsky, David (April 21, 2023). “Markiplier Takes Lead Role, Director’s Chair In Iron Lung Horror Film Adaptation”. GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c McGowan, Elisabeth (December 6, 2025). “‘Iron Lung’ Cast: Meet the Stars in Markiplier’s 2026 Horror Movie”. Hollywood Life. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ “Isaac McKee”. TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c Singh, Yash (December 7, 2025). “Iron Lung cast and characters: Here’s who’s bringing the 2026 horror film to life”. www.soapcentral.com. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ Wine About It (December 12, 2025). “Valkyrae is in Markiplier’s movie! Premiering Jan 30 #qtcinderella #valkyrae #markiplier #ironlung”. TikTok. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ “Markiplier’s IRON LUNG | IN THEATERS JANUARY 30”. ironlung.com. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ Szymanski, David [@DUSKdev] (February 16, 2023). “This summer. Starring Markiplier as John Iron Lung and Jacksepticeye as The Fish. Soundtrack by @AndrewHulshult” (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Myers, Maddy (April 21, 2023). “Markiplier to direct and star in movie adaptation of horror game Iron Lung“. Polygon. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 5, 2025). “YouTube Star Markiplier’s Self-Financed Horror Movie ‘Iron Lung’ to Hit Theaters in January”. Variety. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
- ^ McLoughlin, Seán [@Jacksepticeye] (May 7, 2023). “I am in it but not as a voice” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Brunner, Raven (April 21, 2023). “Iron Lung: YouTuber Markiplier Releases Scary Trailer For Video Game Adaptation”. Decider. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ “Andrew Hulshult 2024 Interview: DOOM IDKFA, Blood Swamps, DUSK, Iron Lung, AMID EVIL, Music, Guitars, Cold Brew Coffee, and More – TouchArcade”. September 16, 2024. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ^ Handley, Zoey (April 21, 2023). “Iron Lung is being adapted to film by Markiplier”. Destructoid. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (April 22, 2023). “Markiplier is set to finance, write, and star in a movie adaptation of indie horror, Iron Lung”. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 21, 2023). “Markiplier To Star In & Direct Horror Film ‘Iron Lung’ From His Own Script; Self-Financed Feature Adapts David Szymanski Video Game”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ Szymanski, David [@DUSKdev] (April 21, 2023). “And for those of you asking, yes this is intended as a theatrical feature!” (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Fugate, Anna [@annatheartiste]; (January 5, 2025). “The Iron Lung timeline is lore. From my first production meeting to the release date on 1/30/26, @Markiplier’s #IronLungMovie has been one of my most exhilarating and ambitious projects of my career. Here’s some spoiler-free recap of the timeline so far! #Markiplier #MakeupDesign #IronLung #AnnaTheArtiste”. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Instagram.
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- ^ a b Fischbach, Mark (December 8, 2025). “Talking Iron Lung” (video). youtube.com.
- ^ Duthie, Alex (July 12, 2023). “Markiplier Teases His Horror Movie ‘Iron Lung’ Is Set To Break Records”. CoveredGeekly. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Rawles, Timothy (August 29, 2024). “Move Over ‘Evil Dead’ Reboot, The Bloodiest Movie Ever Arrives in 2025”. iHorror. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Arias, Jackie (July 2, 2023). “Markiplier Explains Why He Was in the Hospital on His Birthday”. Game Rant. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Dick, Jeremy (April 29, 2023). “Markiplier Wraps Filming on Directorial Debut Film Iron Lung”. MovieWeb. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Dodgson, Lindsay (July 19, 2023). “YouTube superstar Markiplier said he supports striking actors, but joked that he doesn’t know how it works being ‘on strike’ against himself”. Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ Banerjee, Upasana (July 17, 2023). “‘I’m on Strike Everybody!’ – Markiplier Drops the Revelation of Participating in the Screen Actors Guild Strike”. EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Valkyrie interview
- ^ Onder, Cade (October 14, 2023). “Iron Lung Movie Gets First Teaser From Markiplier”. ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 18, 2023). “YouTube Star Markiplier Reveals Blood-Drenched Teaser for His Upcoming Film, Iron Lung”. IGN. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 17, 2023). “Markiplier Reveals Why He Had to Turn Down Role in Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie”. IGN. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- ^ Glaze, Virginia (June 20, 2024). “Markiplier says Iron Lung movie is ‘officially done’ in massive progress update”. Dexerto. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (December 6, 2025). “‘Iron Lung’ – Watch Final Trailer for Markiplier’s Extremely Bloody Horror Movie”. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ a b Harris-Bridson, Dana (January 14, 2026). “A First-Time Filmmaker Is Opening His Movie on 2,500 Screens Without a Distributor”. IndieWire. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ Sudario, Erielle (January 15, 2026). “YouTube Star Markiplier Breaks a Major Theatrical Rule Ahead of Indie Horror Movie’s Release”. Collider. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ Glaze, Virginia (January 9, 2026). “Markiplier’s Iron Lung movie scores international release with massive UK cinema brand”. Dexerto. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ IMC Cinemas [@imccinemas]; (January 20, 2026). “You asked. We listened… Advanced Booking opening this week. In Selected IMC Cinemas Friday 30th January www.imc.ie”. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via Instagram.
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- ^ “Markiplier’s directorial debut film ‘Iron Lung’ will be screening in Australia”. Checkpoint Gaming. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- ^ Event Cinemas NZ [@eventcinemasnz]; (January 8, 2026). “Tickets on sale NOW!! From @Markiplier comes the highly anticipated horror experience IRON LUNG, arriving at EVENT Cinemas from 30 January. Dare to discover if it really is the bloodiest horror film ever made — book your tickets now: Link in bio. #IronLung”. Retrieved January 10, 2026 – via Instagram.
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- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 5, 2025). “YouTube Star Markiplier’s Self-Financed Horror Movie ‘Iron Lung’ to Hit Theaters in January”. Variety. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (January 23, 2026). “Markiplier’s Sci-Fi Horror Film ‘Iron Lung’ Adds International Territories To Release Plan Following U.S. Buzz”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
