Lilly Wachowski And Powerhouse Animation Developing ‘Hell Followed With Us’ Into Animated Feature

Trustbridge Entertainment has acquired the dramatic rights to Andrew Joseph White’s New York Times-bestselling debut novel Hell Followed with Us with the intent of turning the story into an animated feature.

An established team is developing the project, including The Matrix co-director/co-writer Lilly Wachowski and Powerhouse Animation Studios, which is known for series like Castlevania, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Seis Manos, and Blood of Zeus.

Here’s what we currently know about the project:

• The manga-inspired horror/action thriller will be produced by Lilly Wachowski and Sarah Marie Flores through their Anarchists United shingle.
• Screenwriters Alvaro Rodriguez (Machete, Seis Manos) and Warren Wagner (The Only Safe Place Left Is The Dark) are adapting the script. Author Andrew Joseph White is consulting on the development and production.
• Published in 2022 by Peachtree Teen, an imprint of Peachtree Publishing Company, Hell Followed with Us is about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against one’s oppressors. The book tells the story of transgender teen Benji, who flees the fundamentalist cult that unleashed Armageddon, but not before the cult infected him with a bioweapon that will transform him into a rotting beast — and wipe out what’s left of humanity. Benji teams up with a found family of teenagers holed up in an LGBTQ+ youth center for survival.
• Also producing will be Circle Management + Production founding partner Lawrence Mattis, Powerhouse Animation Studios, and producers Daniel Dominguez, Brad Graeber, and Jacob Robinson of Line Mileage.
• Trustbridge Entertainment president Bob Higgins said in a statement:
  

  Hell Followed with Us is such a visceral combination of dystopian fantasy, action, and horror that turning it into an epic anime-inspired feature was a no-brainer. The gut-wrenchingly honest personal journey that is truly the heart of this story requires filmmakers with an authentic point of view to translate, and that is exactly what we’ve got with this dream team of producers and writers.

• Wachowski, Mattis, and Flores added:
  

  Anarchists United and Circle M+P are beyond thrilled to be a part of this amazing team in support of Andrew Joseph White’s harrowing novel. Hell Followed with Us shines a much-needed light on the power of found family and the imperative to protect our LGBTQIA+ siblings in the fight against dogmatic hate.

• White, the author of the original novel, said in a statement:
  

  From working with queer and neurodivergent artists to tackling the book’s hardest topics with enthusiasm, the production team has such an amazing vision for Hell Followed with Us. I can’t wait to bring the book’s rage at a transphobic world to a new audience, right when we need it.