Brandon Cronenberg is heading into deep space. The Canadian filmmaker behind Possessor and Infinity Pool is set to begin production on his long-gestating sci-fi horror epic Dragon in March 20261.
The project, first developed nearly a decade ago, recently secured funding from Telefilm Canada as part of its 2025 slate of English-language features and is being mounted as a Canada/UK co-production. Casting is now underway.
Half Chronenberg, Half Gaurdians of the Galaxy?
Described as a “space horror,” Dragon is set in a near-future society transformed by the discovery of vast, ancient organic lifeforms drifting through the cosmos. These entities—dubbed “dragons”—are harvested and processed into a lucrative narcotic known as “the opiate of the masses.”
The story follows a starship captain and her crew as they hunt the creatures through deep space, seeking both fortune and redemption.
Cronenberg co-wrote the screenplay with acclaimed comic-book writer Dan Abnett, best known for co-creating the 2008 run of Guardians of the Galaxy that inspired James Gunn’s Marvel films. The pairing suggests a blend of hard science fiction world-building with the director’s signature body horror and psychological unease.
Dragon Has Been Long-Delayed
Dragon was originally slated to film in 2017, shortly after Cronenberg’s debut Antiviral, but financing delays led to its shelving. Following the critical success of Possessor (2020) and Infinity Pool (2023), Cronenberg has gained the industry muscle to mount his most ambitious project yet.
Sources describe the production as the largest-scale endeavor of Cronenberg’s career, expanding his typically intimate, cerebral horror sensibilities into a full-scale cosmic nightmare.
Cronenberg’s Next Phase?
Brandon Cronenberg has steadily carved a name distinct from his legendary father, David Cronenberg. While Antiviral and Possessor explored corporeal obsession and mental decay, Dragon may go where no Chronenberg has gone before: space.
Production is expected to run through mid-2026 in Canada, with post-production likely extending into early 2027. No distributor or release date has been announced.