Obsession Director Curry Barker Pitches R-Rated Indiana Jones Vision

Curry Barker, the director behind the horror hit Obsession, has told Gold Derby he wants to bring a violently adult sensibility to the Indiana Jones franchise if the opportunity ever arrives. Barker envisions a version of the archaeologist's adventures that strips away the family-friendly sheen in favor of something far grimmer, a pitch that immediately reframes what a modern Indy film could look like.

The conversation emerged during a broader discussion with Barker's longtime collaborator Cooper Tomlinson, who co-wrote, produced, and starred as Ian in Obsession, and actor Michael Johnston, who played Bear in the same film. Johnston has since been cast in The Mummy: Book of the Dead, the upcoming installment directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett that also brings back Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The contrast between the indie horror set and a major studio tentpole frames the entire discussion around creative ambition versus production reality.

Barker's R-Rated Indy Pitch

"I would want to do a really f**ked up, rated-R version of [Indiana Jones],"

Curry Barker, Director

"I want to do a crazy adventure movie. That's something that Cooper and I have talked about, because we feel like we've never seen something like that; we've only ever seen the family-friendly version."

Curry Barker, Director

He framed the concept around ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, asking what happens when a regular person goes on a journey that turns genuinely crazy. Pushing the boundaries of the adventure genre, he argued, would be the creative draw.

This is not a casual aside — it is a direct creative statement from a horror filmmaker who has already proven he can deliver visceral, grounded terror on a micro-budget.

Tomlinson on Grounded Adventure Epics

"I'd love to bring back the adventure epic like Raiders of the Lost Ark,"

Cooper Tomlinson, Co-writer/Producer/Actor

"What really worked with Obsession was making something that was honest and grounded in reality; obviously we can all suspend disbelief and enjoy all the crazy action stuff that isn't real. But for the characters and story, it should be more grounded and honest. That's how we're going to get those kinds of action classics back."

Cooper Tomlinson, Co-writer/Producer/Actor

Tomlinson emphasized honesty and grounding as the path to reviving classic adventure epics.

Johnston on Indie vs. Blockbuster Production

"These productions are like a well-oiled machine; we do a scene many, many times from many, many different angles, which is nice because it gives us the opportunity to work things out. That takes the pressure off in a way,"

Michael Johnston, Actor

"But there's also a lot more waiting around on those sets than on indie films. With something like Obsession, you only have a couple chances to get something done, and you're also helping everyone else out behind the scenes. I'm not doing that on The Mummy; I'm sitting back in my chair and enjoying the catering."

Michael Johnston, Actor

Johnston's candor about the "waiting around" on big-budget sets versus the all-hands urgency of indie filmmaking illuminates why Barker and Tomlinson's creative instincts run toward grit and grounding. On Obsession, the constraints forced honesty — there was no coverage to hide behind, no second unit to clean up mistakes. That pressure cooker is exactly where the kind of grounded, character-first action Tomlinson advocates gets forged. The Mummy reboot, with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett at the helm — directors who cut their teeth on the Scream revival and Ready or Not — suggests the studio may be open to that sensibility on a larger canvas. Johnston called them "the most lovely guys," a small but telling detail about a production that could bridge the gap between indie horror credibility and blockbuster spectacle.

What This Means for the Franchise

Barker's pitch will almost certainly never happen under Disney's current stewardship — the company has zero incentive to R-rate a legacy IP that prints money in theme parks and merchandise. But the fact that a working horror director with a hit on his resume is publicly articulating this vision matters. It signals a creative cohort that grew up on Raiders and The Mummy (1999) but cut their teeth on Hereditary, The Witch, and Terrifier. They want the adventure epic back, but they want it to hurt. The Mummy: Book of the Dead, with its horror-pedigree directors and returning Fraser/Weisz anchor, becomes the litmus test: can a studio tentpole accommodate that sensibility without diluting it? If it succeeds, the door cracks open for the kind of genre-blurring blockbuster Barker describes. If it flattens into safe IP management, the point is proven — the family-friendly version is all we get.

The conversation ultimately circles back to a single tension: whether the industry still has the stomach to let its adventure icons bleed. Barker and Tomlinson have made their case. The Mummy: Book of the Dead will show whether the machine they're now feeding into can produce something that honors it.