Skibidi Toilet. YouTube‘s #1 trending topic of 2023. The cultural phenomenon that, at one point, was raking in 3 billion views per month on YouTube alone.
And, soon, maybe Hollywood’s next big cinematic universe?
If Michael Bay has his way, it will be.
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For the uninitiated, Skibidi Toilet absolutely skyrocketed to popularity last summer. It’s a series of short, lo-fi, computer-generated videos set in a world where a vast army of toilets with heads in them face off against a rival force of characters with things like TVs, CCTV cameras, and megaphones for heads. It’s made by self-taught Russian animator Alexey Gerasimov, and first went live in February 2023.
Since then, Gerasimov has produced 76 installments set in his ever-expanding fictional world, and together they’ve generated over 65 billion views across platforms, including on his chart-topping YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom!, where he has a cool 43 million subscribers.
Bay first hooked up with Skibidi this past May, when Invisible Narratives–which pairs digital stars with Hollywood producers to create scripted IP–partnered with Bonkers Toys to develop Skibidi Toilet merch. Bay (who, you likely remember, has adapted universes like Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the big screen) is Invisible Narratives’ Chief Creative Advisor–and a big fan of Gerasimov.
“I’ve been following Boom since his early days when he was uploading fan-made Transformers videos,” Bay said at the time. “Watching him transition from that to building a character-rich franchise has been truly inspiring. Boom is a rare talent, and he’s just getting started.”
Now, Bay says he’s full-throttle into developing both a TV series and a major motion picture, all based on this YouTuber-original IP.
“I’ve always been a director that believes in taking risks,” he told the Washington Post. “Audiences yearn for fresh, new ideas. With Skibidi, it’s a new world of what the younger generation is watching, and I’m taking it very seriously.”
Invisible Narratives execs involved with the project added that the plan is to develop multiple product lines and a movie/TV franchise “similar to the Marvel universe or Transformers.”
We can’t overstate how huge this is. We already knew Hollywood is beginning to look at YouTube for fresh talent and IP: Over the last couple of years, major studios have picked up projects like RackaRacka‘s hit Talk to Me, Chris Stuckmann‘s upcoming Shelby Oaks, and Kane Parsons‘ backrooms film. There’s also series like VivziePop‘s Hazbin Hotel, which started on YouTube and was picked up by A24 (which, like the film studio Neon, seems to have an especially close eye on the creator space).
But to have a director as well-known as Bay endorse a YouTuber’s original idea with his directorial clout is pretty wild.
And he’s not the only one endorsing. Adam Goodman, CEO and founder of Invisible Narratives and former president of Paramount Pictures, told the Post there is “so much opportunity for people in Hollywood to jump into [the creator] space.”
“This is as real as any franchise that we’ve ever been involved with,” he added. “It’s still storytelling. It’s still character development, it’s still jokes and action and drama and intrigue. It’s just a different delivery mechanism.”
No projected dates have been given for a potential TV series or film, but keep an eye out–in the next couple years, you may get to experience Skibidi on the silver screen.
