The Argentinian spin-off rights to Jimmy and the Stiggs, the neon-drenched, practical-effects-laden alien horror film written, directed and starring Joe Begos and released by Eli Roth’s Horror Section, have been optioned by Sebastian de Caro, who will direct the project.
Rather than being a straight remake, the film will expand the world created by Bigos into new territory, with new characters facing the same extraterrestrial threat in Argentina.
“Jimmy and the Stiggs” was featured in the Morbidgate IP Showcase, one of the industry’s leading initiatives at the Fantastic Pavilion at Cannes Film Marche, and the spin-off deal closed in the market days later.
Ross and Begos will serve as executive producers on the project.
Jimmy and the Stiggs premiered at Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest in 2024 and received a U.S. theatrical release in August 2025 through Roth’s recently launched genre studio, Horror Section.
Shot on 16mm over a period of approximately four years, primarily in Begos’ own Los Angeles apartment, the film follows two estranged friends. Jimmy, an unemployed filmmaker convinced he’s been abducted by aliens, and Stiggs, a down-to-earth ex-partner who reunites to confront an impending extraterrestrial threat.
Described as “a restrained, visceral, and wildly entertaining 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 the film “purely exhilarating,” while Bloody Disgusting called it “playful, gonzo, and, on a small scale, apocalyptic.”
The film proved its international appeal at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival.
Argentina is the first region to expand on the film’s premise, which can be considered a high-concept, universally translatable IP that travels across languages, cultures, and markets. So two men, an apartment, and an alien siege.
“Jimmy and the Stiggs” is the first acquisition for Horror Section, which Ross launched last year as a company focused on owning and managing a premium intellectual property library of genre films, television series and games.
Upcoming slates in the horror category include Roth’s “Ice Cream Man” and “Don’t Enter That House, Bitch!,” which are scheduled to be released in theaters on August 7th. Snoop Dogg participates as a screenwriter, producer, and soundtrack performer.
MorbidoGate is a strategic partnership between Globalgate Entertainment, a local language film and television production consortium formed by Lionsgate and 14 leading international entertainment companies, and Mexico City-based Grupo Mórbido, Latin America’s leading fantastic film platform, which operates an annual IP showcase as part of the Fantastic Pavilion.
This initiative connects genre IP holders and producers across key international markets. The previous edition of the showcase produced “Kam Sepa” (“Turkish Coffee Table”), the Turkish spin-off of the acclaimed Spanish horror film “Coffee Table” and the first project to come out of Morbidgate. The film is currently receiving positive reviews at prolific international film festivals after its theatrical release in Turkey in February.
The Argentinian film “Jimmy and Stiggs” is the second project to exit the showcase.
As a director, screenwriter, actor, novelist, and cultural essayist, de Caro is one of Argentina’s most versatile artists, with a career that has moved between film, television, streaming, radio, and literature, and one of Argentina’s best-known public figures. De Caro’s work as a film director includes Rockabilly, Vacciones en la Tierra, Recortadas, 20,000 Besos, Claudia, which opened the 2019 Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival, and most recently, Matrimiras.
He has also published several novels under Penguin Random House’s Reservoir Books publication, including The Adventures of the Creatures, The Farza del Mundo of the World, and the Charles Manson essay, Cielo Drive, which, along with his comic book and pop culture essays, have established him as one of Argentina’s most incisive chroniclers of contemporary culture.
De Caro will also co-write the screenplay with Matias Horta, aiming to bring a uniquely Argentinian voice to the project’s expanding “Jimmy and Stiggs” universe.
“Working with Eli Roth and Joe Begos has been an incredibly exciting adventure,” said De Caro. “‘Jimmy and the Stiggs’ struck me as a wonderful kind of madness. It blew my mind with its energy and humor. And the opportunity to expand that world in my home country is the biggest creative challenge I’ve ever taken on. Along with Eli Roth, Joe Begos and Morbidgate, this is a dream come true.”
Ross similarly expressed his admiration for the Argentine multi-hyphenate. “I’m a huge fan of the team behind Seba de Caro and Morbidgate, and ‘Jimmy and the Stiggs’ is the perfect template for how I look at movies in the horror section.
“Horror is truly global, and any story can be adapted to local cultures. I can’t wait to see how this film honors and expands on the highly original cinematic universe by the one and only Joe Begos.”
For Pablo Guisa Kestinger, executive director of Fantastic Pavilion and CEO of Morbido Group, the deal further strengthens Cannes’ role as a genre hub on the market.
“The goal of the Cannes IP Showcase is to strengthen our great film industry by bringing together travelable IP, no visa required, regardless of genre,” he said.
“First we brought Spanish films to Turkey, but now we bring American films to Argentina. Horror is universal, and the Fantastic Pavilion is the place to make those connections.”
Meg Thomson, Executive Vice President of Global Content at Globalgate Entertainment, added, “We’re excited to work with Horror Section and Morbido to find a great IP with the power to travel. Begos’ Jimmy and the Stiggs is a wild ride, and imagining aliens invading another country is great. We’re confident Sebastian will bring a bold approach to this distinctive IP.”
Thomson and Giesa negotiated the contract with John Schnarz of the horror section.
