Iron Lung is an upcoming sci‑fi horror movie written, directed by, and starring YouTube creator Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), adapted from David Szymanski’s acclaimed 2022 indie video game of the same name. The movie follows a condemned prisoner forced to pilot a cramped submarine across a literal ocean of blood on a desolate moon after a cosmic catastrophe known as the Quiet Rapture.
What is the movie ‘Iron Lung’ about?: Plot details
Iron Lung takes place after the Quiet Rapture, a mysterious event in which nearly all known stars and habitable planets vanish, leaving humanity clinging to survival in scattered, dying ships and outposts. In this desperate context, authorities discover a blood‑red ocean on a barren moon and send a convict on a near‑suicidal mission to chart it in a small, heavily modified submarine nicknamed the “Iron Lung.”
The sub’s forward viewport has been sealed with metal to withstand the extreme pressure, forcing the pilot to navigate blind using flickering instruments, printed coordinates, and a mounted camera that periodically snaps photos of the darkness outside. As the craft descends, the mission’s “calculated risk” quickly feels more like an execution than an expedition, with growing system failures, ominous comms chatter, and glimpses of something lurking within the blood ocean.
Cast
The film features a small but notable ensemble led by Mark Fischbach, who not only directs and writes but also plays the central prisoner confined within the Iron Lung. He is joined by Caroline Rose Kaplan in a key role, with additional performances from Seán McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye), voice actor Troy Baker, singer and voice actor Elsie Lovelock, and game creator David Szymanski in an on‑screen appearance.
Additional credited cast members include Elle LaMont, Isaac McKee, and Kazuki Jalal, contributing to the film’s mix of live‑action and voice‑based performances. The tight cast list reflects the story’s intensely contained setting, where most of the tension unfolds in and around a single, battered vessel and the voices that guide—or manipulate—the mission from afar.
Production
Iron Lung is produced by Markiplier Studios, with Mark Fischbach serving as writer, director, star, and one of the principal financiers of the project. The film adapts David Szymanski’s 2022 horror game, with Szymanski also credited as a writer on the movie, further tying the film’s narrative to the original creative vision.
Filming took place primarily in 2023, including work in Austin, Texas, before moving into an extended post‑production period that ran through industry strike disruptions and Fischbach’s ongoing YouTube commitments. The production has already become notorious for its practical gore, reportedly using over 50,000 gallons of fake blood to bring the crimson ocean and submarine catastrophe to life.
Release date and where to watch
Iron Lung is currently scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on January 30, 2026, marking Markiplier’s feature‑length directorial debut on the big screen. The movie will roll out in a limited theatrical run across approximately 50–100 independent cinemas during its opening frame, including a premiere event at the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
As of now, specific streaming and VOD details have not been finalized or publicly announced, though reports indicate the goal is to bring the film to streaming platforms after its initial indie‑theater window. Any information beyond this—such as exact platforms, international streaming dates, or physical media plans—has not been reliably confirmed, so it cannot be included without speculation.
Trailer
Multiple teasers and trailers for Iron Lung have been released online, showcasing the film’s suffocating atmosphere and high‑pressure submarine setting. The footage emphasizes cramped metal corridors, flickering lights, malfunctioning instruments, and blood seeping into every corner of the vessel as alarms blare and the hull groans under crushing depths.
Voiceovers in the trailer highlight the mission’s experimental nature, tense arguments over whether the expedition has ever been properly tested, and a final, desperate plea from the protagonist who just “wants to live,” reinforcing the story’s blend of cosmic dread and human desperation. Together with the game’s reputation and the sheer scale of its practical effects, Iron Lung is positioned as a grim, claustrophobic horror experience built for both longtime Markiplier fans and genre audiences.
