The makers of the wiki that gave rise to the franchise are pleased that Neon is creating its own SCP Foundation film.
Neon has entered the SCP universe, becoming the second small studio in a month to do so. Deadline reports that the indie distributor is building its own feature from the group’s lore, now facing direct competition against the V/H/S/: SCP film that rival A24 attached itself to a few weeks ago.
The Wiki’s Ownership Problem
For years, the SCP Foundation Wiki has made it difficult for studios to adapt its content. The wiki stands apart from other online creations that have emerged from the internet’s collective consciousness over the past 20 years, such as the Backrooms mythos that Kane Parsons — a filmmaker who went on to direct for A24 — brought into the mainstream multiplex this summer. Instead, the SCP organizers chose to release the entire archive under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license.
The license covers derivative projects, including Hollywood films, automatically. Studios typically do not release their very costly movies straight into the Creative Commons, but Neon appears to be doing exactly that.
What The Statement Says
The SCP Foundation Wiki Admin Team issued a statement today, noting that while it doesn’t grant any kind of “official” status to the movie — it’s apparently site policy not to give that endorsement, period — the organizers are “satisfied that Neon intends to follow the requirements of the CC BY-SA license.”
The statement stressed that “SCP Foundation Wiki staff is not involved in the writing or production of this film” beyond the same basic advice about the SCP Foundation body of work it gives to all “unaffiliated projects.” It also said “No member of staff is receiving compensation or otherwise financially benefitting from this film.”
The closing remark referenced “The staff of the SCP Foundation Wiki and our community appreciate Neon’s excellent communication and commitment to following the requirements of our license as well as the spirit of collaboration at the core of the SCP Foundation project.”, noting that it stood as a point of agreement between the two sides.
“The staff of the SCP Foundation Wiki and our community appreciate Neon’s excellent communication and commitment to following the requirements of our license as well as the spirit of collaboration at the core of the SCP Foundation project.”
Neon’s Pitch
Neon is leaning into the open-source spirit of the project, calling the movie an “open-source horror project.” There’s no word on who’s actually working on it yet, or when it’ll arrive in theaters, beyond a vague 2027 arrival.
The collection came into being in 2008, and it has drawn contributions from hundreds, perhaps thousands, of writers and artists since then. Its central premise is an organization dedicated to cataloging and containing supernatural entities, objects, and ideas. That body of work spans chilling horror, heady science fiction, and even a deliberately silly tale about a little robot who really loves to touch hamburgers.
The Competition Angle
A24 has a scheduling problem on its hands. Neon’s film is now set to go up against the V/H/S/: SCP movie that the rival studio attached itself to a few weeks ago. The two films both draw from the same creative commons source material, yet only one studio contacted the original creators first.
The difference is significant: the wiki’s organizers are satisfied that Neon intends to follow the requirements of the license, even as they note they’ merely records information about the film without giving it any formal standing.
Why This Matters
Ownership and copyright have long been handled with care on the SCP Foundation Wiki. Its Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license covers derivative projects automatically. Studios generally dislike that restriction, which is why most avoid it entirely.
A small distributor is embracing the license, which is a bold move, particularly for a company entering a crowded horror space.
The Bottom Line
Neon is making its own SCP Foundation movie, and the creators behind the wiki are pleased about it. The organizers appreciate Neon’s communication and commitment to the license, even as they stress they’re not involved in the production.
The rivalry between two studios competing over the same territory has grown more intense. Both are working from the same original material, and each is trying to gain an edge within the same narrow field.
For now, the 2027 release window is all we know.
Key Facts Box
- Release window: Vague 2027 arrival
- Studios involved: Neon vs. A24
- A24 partner studios: Image Nation Studios and Spooky Pictures
- Wiki license: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike
- Wiki founded: 2008
- Archive contributors: Hundreds, if not thousands of writers and artists
The SCP Foundation Wiki’s Creative Commons license has always been a barrier for studios. Neon has just found a way to make it work — and the creators behind the project seem to think it’s the right call.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.