Alex de la Iglesia, a well-known Spanish film/TV director (“Day of the Beast,” “The Last Circus,” “30 Coins”) will make his animated debut as director of the animated feature “Ages of Madness: Howl of the Djinn.”
Produced by 3Doubles Producciones in the Canary Islands, following Goya Award nominees SuperKlaus and Norbert, and Biscaia-based Sumendi Uhartea, Ages of Madness has been hailed by 3Doubles as “the first major adult 3D animation feature to fully adapt HP Lovecraft’s complex world to the big screen.”
The feature film is expected to begin production at the end of 2026. The film weaves together what has been described as several “tragically intertwined stories” linked by an imagining of one of Lovecraft’s masterpieces, the Necronomicon, a legendary forbidden book that causes madness and gruesome death when read. Lovecraft referenced this book throughout his stories, claiming that it contained descriptions of the Old Ones who ruled before humans and would continue to rule after them. But he barely reproduces the content of the book, which makes it even more sinister.
In de la Iglesia’s film, the book will travel through time across four brutally remote historical and geographical environments, 3Doubles Producciones said Wednesday during the Annecy Animation Festival. He added, “Feeding on humanity’s thirst for forbidden knowledge, ‘The Necronomicon’ unleashes madness and the chilling conviction that we are nothing but the dust of the ancients.” The film “explores the fragility of human sanity in the face of the unknown.”
Given de la Iglesia’s penchant for grotesque and fantasy, one of the questions “Age of Madness” raises is why he took so long to explore animation. Although he was certainly a cartoonist in his youth, he directed the short story Mirandas Acecinas and persuaded Pedro and Agustín Almodovar to make his feature debut, Mutant Action, in 1993.
“Before I started making movies, I used to draw monsters a lot,” de la Iglesia said. “I started making comics, but animation was always there. ‘Age of Madness’ gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my roots with an incredibly talented team. After years of working in filmmaking, I’m excited to be working on something new with the excitement of day one.”
“I’ve always been fascinated by Lovecraft’s worldview, and being able to bring that cosmic horror to the screen with Alex de la Iglesia is a dream come true,” added 3Doubles CEO Dario Sanchez. “We believe this is a turning point for our sector. Adult animation is growing rapidly and this project will put the Spanish industry on the world map.”
Sumendi Uhartea’s recent animation works include “Heidi,” “Katamozalen Ereskatea,” and “Lasai, Zeus!” And “KooKoo Corral” was selected for Cartoon Forum 2025.
