Influencer
YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL to Self-Finance Animated Feature Based on His Own Comic
Animation studio Lyrical Animation is developing a feature-length adaptation of “Godslap,” the comic created by YouTuber and streamer Charlie “MoistCr1TiKaL” White, with White’s Meatier Productions also producing. White has said he is the project’s sole financier, putting “millions” of his own money behind the film, as reported by IGN.
Kellan Stover is directing the 2D, hand-drawn animated feature from a script by Lyrical Animation creative director Daniel Dominguez and Lyrical Animation head Jacob Robinson. Austin-based Powerhouse Animation Studios, known for “Castlevania,” “Blood of Zeus,” “Masters of the Universe: Revelation,” and “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft,” is handling animation. Production is underway, with a target release in 2028. White debuted a teaser across his channels on September 3.
“Godslap” follows an 18-year-old farm boy hidden from society by his father because of an extraordinary and supposedly cursed power in his hands. After a rebellion costs him everything, he must decide whether that power makes him a monster or the one person able to bring down the corporation that controls the world.
According to Deadline, White said he first approached Powerhouse about adapting the comic in 2018 but could not finance it at the time; the studio came back to him roughly three years ago. He described the comic team as involved “every single step of the way” and said he plans a theatrical release, following Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” as another major influencer-led project headed to theaters. The source comic itself is still roughly two years from completion, according to White.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to make an animated movie, especially with a studio like Powerhouse, so I couldn’t be more excited,” White said. Dominguez called “Godslap” “anime-inflected” and “hilariously violent,” adding that Lyrical had been “longtime fans of Charlie.”
A Creator Financing His Own IP
White brings a substantial built-in audience to the project, consisting of more than 25 million followers across platforms, roughly 145 million monthly views, YouTube videos averaging 1.8 million views apiece, and nightly livestreams drawing about 15,000 concurrent viewers, according to Animation Magazine. The comic underlying the film has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.
The deal also extends Lyrical’s push into fandom-driven adaptations built around creators and games. The studio is separately adapting the video game “Bloodborne” with PlayStation Productions and creator Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, with parent company Lyrical Media co-financing alongside Sony Pictures.
The arrangement lands amid broader signs that studios and audiences are treating creator-built worlds as viable screen properties on their own terms rather than as extensions of a personality. YouTube’s “Culture and Trends” team reported this spring that 61% of animation fans aged 14 to 24 said they enjoy YouTube-native independent animated series as much as or more than major studio productions, with 63% of that age group watching such series weekly or more. That data point suggests the audience appetite White is betting on for creator-made animation at feature scale already has measurable traction among the demographic most likely to buy tickets.
Unannounced elements of the “Godslap” project include a distributor, confirmed release date, and voice cast. White said he plans to share more details, including casting, in the coming months.
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