Another big-name filmmaker is getting in the YouTube content-farming business.

One of the biggest filmmakers, to be exact. Stephen Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment announced Thursday that they will develop a major motion picture based on the YouTube series The Mandela Catalogue from creator Alex Kister. Scott Stuber of United Artists will co-produce for Amazon MGM Studios.

The news comes a day after Warner Bros. snapped up the rights to a character called Siren Head, with the film to be written and directed by Brian Duffield and Zach Kregger. The success of movies by YouTubers Kane Parsons (Backrooms) and Curry Barker (Obsession) have sent studios in search of more non-traditional fare.

Launched in 2021, the popular YouTube series is set in fictional Mandela County, Wisconsin which is “invaded by shape-shifting, nearly immortal creatures called Alternates. The Alternates are led by a false depiction of the Archangel Gabriel and their aim is to wipe out the human race by psychologically torturing them to the point of suicide. The Alternates are known for manipulating AV media, TVs, computers and GPS systems.”

The series is presented in a non-linear fashion, using VHS-style found footage, images, sound effects, voices, surveillance camera shots, and other analog sources in short videos. The series is comprised of 19 videos thus far, totaling millions of views since it launched. Kister has over a million subscribers to his channel.

Kister will direct the film, working from a screenplay he wrote with Tyler Clifton. Spielberg et al won the bidding rights to The Mandela Catalogue by beating out 10 other studios interested in the project.

Below are some other images from The Mandela Catalogue.

So, what will the next viral property to be converted into a blockbuster? There’s no way to be sure, but it could be the faux-news horror shorts produced by Local58TV, also available on YouTube. Stay tuned.