‘Anything But Ghosts’, Curry Barker’s new film after ‘Obsession’, opens May 7, 2027 — Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard join the cast

Focus Features has officially set the release date for director Curry Barker’s new project: “Anything But Ghosts” will open in cinemas across the United States on May 7, 2027, as Focus Features itself announced in its official statement. The studio has secured the film’s worldwide rights, while international distribution will be handled by Universal Pictures International.

The film follows the extraordinary success of “Obsession” (2026), Barker’s horror film that, on a budget of under a million dollars, reached $519 million at the worldwide box office — the highest figure in Focus Features’ history. After its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, the studio bought the film, winning the bidding against a Netflix offer for direct streaming.

“Anything But Ghosts” is written and directed by Barker, co-written with his longtime collaborator Cooper Tomlinson, who played Ian in “Obsession”. The pair also play the leading roles: two fake “ghost hunters”, famous internet fraudsters, who lose control when a frightened family calls them in to face real ghosts. The story is set in the same universe as “Obsession”, with a direct reference to the fate of the character Nikki.

Joining the cast are Violet McGraw (“M3GAN”), Chris Reinacher (“Superstore”), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World”) and Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”). The film’s producers are Jason Blum (Blumhouse), Roy Lee and Steven Schneider (Spooky Pictures), Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath (Divide/Conquer), together with Image Nation and That’s a Bad Idea.

Barker himself has described the project as a “buddy comedy” — more comedic than “Obsession”, but still true horror — promising a different film, not a copy of its predecessor. The announcement was made through a video the director published himself and that Focus Features shared on its social channels on September 29, 2026; Violet McGraw reposted the announcement on her Instagram.