Filmmaker Mark Duplass, one of the supporting actors in A24’s upcoming sci-fi horror film Backrooms, has defended the 20-year-old director behind the movie, Kane Parsons, following speculation online that the young man “absolutely didn’t direct” the project.
The independent film and TV production company A24 is known for taking big risks with its projects, and many online have already stated that choosing Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old who had never directed a big-budget feature film before, to helm a project with an estimated $10 million budget was one such risk. If you ask me, I actually think it’s one of the safest decisions A24 has made in the 13 years since it was created, but don’t take my word for it—take Mark Duplass’ word instead.
Duplass, who has been making films for over 20 years and stars alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve in Backrooms, replied to a blue-checkmarked dork on X yesterday who implied that a ghost director was actually in charge of producing the new horror flick. “Hmmm, with all due respect I don’t remember seeing you on set,” stated Duplass. “When I was there, Kane was 100 percent in control. More so than many directors 3x his age.”
Hmmm, with all due respect I don’t remember seeing you on set. When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age. https://t.co/GXQsI5jxG0
— Mark Duplass (@MarkDuplass) May 26, 2026
Duplass also followed up on his post on X with a video on Instagram, in which he stated that Parsons was “intensely prepared” for the project and “didn’t need” help from him or any of Backrooms’ producers, which include several well-established directors such as James Wan, Shawn Levy, and Osgood Perkins, to handle directorial duties.
Parsons even jokingly weighed in on the discourse himself, in a comment on a video by content creator Dolan Darkest: “This is actually all true. They don’t tell you this, but 96 percent of all movies released in North America and Europe are actually directed by the same person. They call him ‘The Older Gentleman.’ He has had all of Hollywood in a chokehold for decades now. They make you sign over all of your intellectual property, life rights, and genetic information to him when you enter the industry. He loves movies.”
Really, however, the only proof you need of Parsons’ skill is contained within the short films he’s directed and posted to his YouTube channel over the past nine years. When I stated earlier that A24’s decision to hire Parsons was one of the safest decisions the company has ever made, I was, of course, referring to the fact that this guy directed the ridiculously popular and extremely impressive Backrooms short films when he was only 15 years old.
And hey, if you need any more proof of the fact that Parsons knows ball, he recently stated in an interview with Letterboxd that Valve’s Portal games had “the strongest influence over” all of his projects, including Backrooms. The film is currently sitting at a very respectable 79 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so if Valve needs a guy to helm a Portal movie…let’s just say I might know a guy.
