An Argentine Spin-Off of Joe Begos' JIMMY AND STIGGS is Underway

ARGENTINIAN SPIN-OFF OF JOE BEGOS' "JIMMY AND STIGGS" CLOSES AT CANNES MARCHÉ DU FILM FOLLOWING MORBIDOGATE IP SHOWCASE AT THE FANTASTIC PAVILION

 

Sebastián De Caro set to direct the project based on the 2025 horror released by Eli Roth's The Horror Section; deal brokered within the market following world presentation of the IP at the Fantastic Pavilion

 

CANNES — What started as a presentation inside the Fantastic Pavilion at the Marché du Film ended, days later, as a closed deal. The Argentinian spin-off rights to Jimmy and Stiggs— the neon-drenched, practical-effects alien horror film written, directed by and starring Joe Begos, released by Eli Roth's The Horror Section — have been optioned by Sebastián De Caro, who will direct the project. Rather than a straight remake, the film will follow new characters facing the same extraterrestrial threat in Argentina, expanding the universe Begos created into new territory. The deal was brokered within the market after the film was featured at the MorbidoGate IP Showcase, one of the Fantastic Pavilion's signature industry initiatives. Roth and Begos will serve as Executive Producers on the project.

 

Jimmy and Stiggs premiered at Beyond Fest in October 2024 and received its nationwide U.S. theatrical release in August 2025 through The Horror Section, the genre studio launched by Eli Roth. Shot on 16mm over the course of nearly four years, primarily in Begos' own Los Angeles apartment, the film follows two estranged friends — Jimmy, an out-of-work filmmaker convinced he was abducted by aliens, and Stiggs, the sober former partner he reunites with to face the impending extraterrestrial threat. A contained, visceral, ferociously funny sci-fi horror built on practical effects and raw energy, the film was hailed by critics as a cult classic in the making. The Los Angeles Times called it "pure exhilaration," while Bloody Disgusting described it as "playful, gonzo, small-scale-yet-apocalyptic." It played Sitges, where it confirmed its international appeal. Its premise — two men, one apartment, an alien siege — is precisely the kind of high-concept, universally translatable IP that travels across languages, cultures and markets. Argentina is the first territory to expand it.

 

The Horror Section is a media company focused on creating the world's premier genre brand. Founded in 2025 by horror film legend Eli Roth, the company super-serves horror fans by owning and controlling a premium intellectual property library of unhinged films, television series, and games, in addition to a podcast and curating horror-centric experiences. The Horror Section's upcoming slate includes Roth's Ice Cream Man, which will be released theatrically on over 2,000 screens on August 7, 2026, and Don't Go In That House, Bitch!, with Snoop Dogg on board as a producer as well as writer and performer on the original soundtrack.

 

MorbidoGate, the strategic alliance between Globalgate Entertainment — the local-language film and TV production consortium formed by Lionsgate and 14 leading international entertainment companies — and Grupo Mórbido, Latin America's leading fantastic cinema platform, operates its annual IP Showcase inside the Fantastic Pavilion. The initiative connects genre IP holders with producers across key international markets, matching properties with the right creative voices in each territory. The previous edition of the showcase produced Cam Sehpa, the Turkish spin-off of the acclaimed Spanish horror film The Coffee Table — the first project to emerge from MorbidoGate, currently enjoying a prolific international festival run and having opened theatrically in Turkey in February 2026. The Argentinian Jimmy and Stiggs is the second project to close from the showcase.

 

Attached to direct is Sebastián De Caro — one of Argentina's most singular and multifaceted creative voices. Actor, director, screenwriter, novelist, cultural essayist, and one of the country's most recognized public personalities, De Caro has built a career that moves fluidly between cinema, television, streaming, radio, and literature. As a filmmaker, his credits include Rockabilly, Vacaciones en la Tierra, Recortadas, 20.000 besos, Claudia — which opened the BAFICI in 2019 — and most recently Matrimillas. As a writer, he has published multiple novels with Penguin Random House's Reservoir Books imprint, including Las nuevas aventuras de un biólogo recién recibido, La flor más falsa del mundo, and the Charles Manson essay Cielo Drive, alongside comic books and pop culture essays that have established him as one of Argentina's sharpest chroniclers of contemporary culture. As a conductor and media personality, he has been a presence on Argentina's most important radio stations and streaming platforms, reaching audiences far beyond the traditional cinema circuit. He will also co-write the screenplay alongside Matías Orta, bringing a distinctly Argentinian voice to the project's expansion of the Jimmy and Stiggs universe.

 

"Working with Eli Roth and Joe Begos is an incredibly exciting adventure. Jimmy and Stiggs struck me as a brilliant kind of madness — it blew my mind with its energy and humor — and the chance to expand that universe in my own country is the biggest creative challenge I've ever taken on. Alongside Eli Roth, Joe Begos and MorbidoGate, this is a dream come true." — Sebastián De Caro, Director

 

"I'm a huge fan of Seba de Caro and the team at MorbidoGate, and Jimmy and Stiggs is the perfect template for how we see films from The Horror Section. Horror is truly global, and any story can be applied to local culture. I cannot wait to see how this film honors and expands the universe of a wildly original film by the one and only Joe Begos." — Eli Roth, Founder, The Horror Section

 

"The goal of the IP Showcase at Cannes is to strengthen the fantastic film industry by connecting IP that can travel — and genre doesn't need a visa. First we took a Spanish film to Turkey, now we're taking an American film to Argentina. Horror is universal, and the place to make those connections is the Fantastic Pavilion." — Pablo Guisa Koestinger, Executive Director, Fantastic Pavilion & CEO, Morbido Group

 

"We're thrilled to collaborate with The Horror Section and Morbido on finding great IP with the power to travel. Begos' Jimmy and Stiggs is a wild ride, and it's fantastic to imagine those aliens invading other countries. We're confident that Sebastián will bring a bold approach to this distinctive IP." — Meg Thomson, Executive Vice President Global Content, Globalgate Entertainment

 

The deal was negotiated by Meg Thomson of Globalgate Entertainment and Pablo Guisa Koestinger of Morbido Group with Jon Schnaars of The Horror Section.