Kenneth Branagh to Lead “‘E.T.’ Meets ‘Ted'” Horror Comedy, ‘Goblin’

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Kenneth Branagh will star in Goblin, a new film from A24 described as a blend of E.T. and Ted. He’s well-known for playing Hercule Poirot in several mystery movies, and for his acclaimed work directing and acting in Shakespeare plays like Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1995). Branagh has also directed popular films such as Disney’s live-action Cinderella and the first Thor movie for Marvel.

Kenneth Branagh, known for his role in Tenet, is also an accomplished writer and director – he won an Oscar for the screenplay of Belfast, which he also directed. While he’s made some interesting career choices, like playing the villain in the movie Wild Wild West, his upcoming film, Goblin, might be his most unusual project yet.

David Mikalson initially conceived of Goblin as a short film, but A24 was so impressed with the idea they provided $6 million in funding to turn it into a full movie. The film is a horror comedy, similar in spirit to Ted, and features a realistically-made puppet goblin who forms an unlikely friendship with a human. Details emphasize the puppet is incredibly detailed, suggesting a wild and potentially shocking storyline that attracted actor Branagh to the project. Deadline reported that Mikalson even sent Branagh a thank-you cake depicting the goblin in a rather suggestive pose.

Actor reportedly is being considered to play the human side of a goblin character. He recently played Jimmy Olsen in Superman and has a leading role coming up in Focker-in-Law. While he hasn’t officially agreed to the part yet, his experience in both comedic and horror genres—including roles in Santa Clarita Diet and The Binge—makes him a strong contender.

‘Goblin’ Looks to Capitalize on the Success of Films Like ‘Ted’


Deadline

As a movie fan, I remember when Ted came out – pairing Mark Wahlberg with a hilariously inappropriate talking teddy bear (Seth MacFarlane, naturally!). It was a huge success, so they quickly made a sequel, though it didn’t quite reach the same heights. Then came a TV series showing Wahlberg and Ted as teenagers – a fun idea! Now, there’s this new movie called Goblin which feels a lot like Ted – it’s another buddy comedy, but instead of a teddy bear, it’s a seriously creepy creature. And honestly, it worked really well – so well that a smaller, more independent studio, known for taking risks on unique projects, decided to make it a full-fledged series.

The new film Goblin is being described as a blend of Ted and E.T., and draws comparisons to the comedy Paul, which featured Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and the voice of Seth Rogen. While details are still scarce, and much about this raunchy comedy remains a secret, the film is still in the casting process and some time away from release. However, with Kenneth Branagh involved and a funny premise, A24 seems to have another promising and interesting project in the works.

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2025-11-25 13:19