Markiplier Says He’s Taking a Break After IRON LUNG and Wants To Focus on Directing
Iron Lung surprised a lot of people when it hit theaters. What started as a scrappy indie adaptation of a 2022 horror game turned into a serious box office win. Now, after pulling in over $44 million worldwide on a $3-4 million budget, Markiplier is taking a breath before diving into whatever comes next.
In a recent interview with Deadline, the filmmaker, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, made it clear that fans shouldn’t expect an immediate follow-up.
"I wish I could. And that’s not even me being coy. I owe my wife a few dinners and vacations before jumping into the next project," said Markipiler (real name Mark Fischbach) when asked if he could give fans a timeframe on when to expect his next project, in an interview with Deadline.
After steering Iron Lung from script to screen and leading the marketing campaign himself, it’s hard to blame him for wanting some time off.
The film, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, follows a convict trapped inside a submarine welded shut and dropped into an ocean of blood. It’s claustrophobic, intense, and exactly the kind of strange horror concept that fits his brand.
Even so, this isn’t a retirement announcement. Far from it.
"When it comes to the next thing, I already have ideas. I usually know what I want to do before I’m done with the previous project. And now I actually have options," said the director.
After proving that a YouTuber can open a movie in theaters and turn it into a legitimate box office success, Fischbach has more leverage than ever. According to him, this level of success "needed to happen" in order to "elevate what I want to do and be taken seriously."
One interesting shift could be where he places himself in front of the camera. For the last 14 years, Markiplier has been the face of his own content. That doesn’t mean he plans to keep doing that in every film.
"I just have for the past 14 years because who else is going to do it? And I’m a YouTuber," added Fischbach. "For this next one, probably I’m going to be in a big cushy director’s chair, and I’m going to sink into it."
Iron Lung is still playing in theaters after its January 30 release, and once its theatrical run wraps up, Markiplier wants fans to be able to watch it at home as soon as possible. Keeping things independent still matters to him, even after a massive win at the box office.
"I might have to buy a bunch of Blu-ray burners and start burning Blu-rays on my own and shipping them out, manually, start an online store," added the star. "That kind of stuff is fun, [and] doesn’t scare me too much."
That DIY mindset is a huge part of why Iron Lung connected in the first place. It feels personal. It feels hands-on. And it proves that creator-driven horror films can compete in theaters without a giant studio machine doing the heavy lifting.
For now, Markiplier is enjoying the victory lap. But if he’s already thinking about the next project and considering stepping fully into the director’s chair, the next chapter of his filmmaking career could be even more ambitious.