The House Of The Dead Movie Casts Superman Actor As Its Lead

Development on Paul W.S. Anderson’s The House of the Dead movie has taken another step forward, as Superman and Alien: Romulus star Isabela Merced has been cast as the lead in this live-action adaptation of Sega’s zombie-slaying shoot-’em-up series.

Merced has landed several big film roles since her career took off in 2013, including Hawkgirl in James Gunn’s 2025 Superman movie. She also starred as Kay in 2024’s Alien: Romulus and, on TV, played Dina in HBO’s The Last of Us series.

“The House of the Dead is a game I have loved for many years, and I’m beyond thrilled to be bringing this to the big screen with such an exciting talent as Isabela at its heart,” Anderson said to Deadline about the casting. “We envisage this as the start of a tentpole franchise which can explore the rich world and lore that Sega has created over a whole series of films.”

Anderson will write and direct the film, which Deadline describes as “a top Sega priority” following the successful trilogy of Sonic the Hedgehog movies. The plan for this production is to make House of the Dead an immersive feature film that plays out in real-time, with Anderson describing the project as a “full-on terror ride” that will drop viewers straight into the action.

The film will be based on 2002’s The House of the Dead 3, and the story will follow the protagonist, Lisa Rogan, on her mission to save her father. The story will also explore the life of Daniel Curien, the son of the man who started the zombie outbreak, and the gruesome sins of his father. This isn’t the first time House of the Dead has been adapted into a movie, as infamous director Uwe Boll took a stab at the IP back in 2003.

In other movie news, Return to Silent Hill isn’t doing too hot at the box office, but YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach’s film adaptation of the horror video game Iron Lung got off to a great start last week.