If adapted to movies, Dead by Daylight makes a lot of sense as a collaborative franchise that can feature multiple characters in its own horror experience. The basic premise of Dead by Daylight is a classic cat-and-mouse, survivor versus killer formula that is highly entertaining. Transitioning from realm map to realm map like players do in Dead by Daylight, a movie franchise would easily adapt what fans love about the game’s core loop with intriguing character interactions.
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Dead by Daylight Movies Could Represent Iconic Horror IPs with Licensed Characters
In terms of licensed characters and franchises used liberally in Dead by Daylight-related movies, it could be incredibly difficult to have these characters featured in a movie or TV adaptation. If possible, though, it would be exciting to see iconic killer characters like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger pursuing iconic survivor characters like Steve Harrington or Nancy Wheeler. In terms of Dead by Daylight’s Stranger Things content, it would be wonderful to see these characters reprised in live-action while they are no longer a part of the game.
This would give seminal actors an opportunity to reprise their roles as these characters, too, such as Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams. It may be difficult to adapt figures from other games into live-action such as characters from Resident Evil without seminal portrayals themselves, but they could be omitted if iconic movie characters were made a priority for the sake of their fame.
However, even if not a single killer or survivor character from a licensed IP could be featured in a Dead by Daylight movie, the game fortunately features its own cast of compelling characters that the movies could select from. This has most recently resulted in Dead by Daylight’s Hooked on You dating simulator. But there is even more potential for the Dead by Daylight franchise that already writes itself as a live-action cinematic universe.
Dead by Daylight Movies Could Honor Its Own Horror IP with Original Characters
If Dead by Daylight movies could only adapt the game’s original survivor and killer characters, that would still be a thrilling live-action experience. There are likely only a few licensed characters in Dead by Daylight whose stories are obscure to the game’s fans, but its original characters obviously have a lot more to learn about, and movies could dive into their lore a bit more.
It would be exciting to see individual killer characters receive their own standalone movies leading up to a full ensemble movie, where they are all transported individually to the Entity’s realms in the same way that Nick Fury recruits individual Marvel superheroes for The Avengers. Having installments for each original killer character, such as Dead by Daylight’s Huntress, Nurse, Trapper, or Wraith would be a great way to develop the live-action franchise and have it culminate into something special.
There are fans who are excited to see how Dead by Daylight survivors can narrowly escape a killer’s clutches, while there are some fans who root for the killer if they are particularly interesting, or if survivors are particularly detestable in comparison. Further, with new content being added to Dead by Daylight all the time, a live-action franchise’s potential would be infinitely rewarding.
Dead by Daylight is available now on Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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