'The Empty Man' Trailer: Here's The Supernatural Horror Movie That Disney Is Quietly Dumping In Theaters This Month

Poor The Empty Man. A supernatural horror movie based on the Boom! Studios graphic novels, The Empty Man has been pushed back and buried in the Disney release schedule so many times that it's been virtually forgotten. And even now, the 20th Century Studios release is getting dropped in theaters with little fanfare except for this (first!) trailer, which has been released just one week before release. Watch The Empty Man trailer below.

Based on the comic written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Vanesa R. Del Rey, The Empty Man centers around an urban legend in a small Midwestern town, and a group of teens who begin to mysteriously disappear. James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3), Stephen Root (Barry), and Joel Courtney (Super 8) star in the movie, which is written and directed by David Prior.

It seems like The Empty Man is getting the New Mutants treatment — a leftover from the Disney-Fox merger that will get dropped quietly to theaters. Theaters that are barely operating at the moment due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which doesn't bode well for the box office receipts for The Empty Man. But as a mid-budget horror movie that would have been inappropriate for the family-friendly Disney+ and unlikely to make a big splash at the box office anyway, perhaps this was the best solution for The Empty Man. At least they got a trailer for their troubles.

Here is the synopsis for The Empty Man:

20th Century Studios' "The Empty Man" is a supernatural horror film based on a popular series of Boom! Studios graphic novels. After a group of teens from a small Midwestern town begin to mysteriously disappear, the locals believe it is the work of an urban legend known as The Empty Man. As a retired cop investigates and struggles to make sense of the stories, he discovers a secretive group and their attempts to summon a horrific, mystical entity, and soon his life—and the lives of those close to him—are in grave danger. Directed by David Prior from a screen story and screenplay by David Prior based on the graphic novel by Cullen Bunn, "The Empty Man" stars James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Ron Canada, Robert Aramayo, Joel Courtney and Sasha Frolova. The film is produced by Ross Richie, p.g.a. and Stephen Christy, p.g.a.

The Empty Man opens in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2020. Advance tickets for The Empty Man go on sale today and can be purchased anywhere tickets are sold.