New Line Cinema has won the feature rights to "Jealous People are Ugly People," a horror project from Greek-British filmmaker Theo James Krekis, after a bidding war that drew at least 10 competing parties (Deadline). The scale of the auction was first reported by Puck (IMDB/Puck).

The feature will expand Krekis's own short film of the same name, which was commissioned by the BBC through its "Long Story Short" programme for the Midlands and produced by UK outfit The Fold (Deadline; BBC Writers). The short aired on BBC Three at 22:30 and is available on BBC iPlayer. It follows a character named Vasilly, whose jealousy over his best friend's sudden career success feeds a dark supernatural force growing within him.

The short premiered in the Midnight Madness strand at SXSW in 2026 and also screened at the Manchester Film Festival (Deadline; Deadline). Isabel Pritchard-Smith is credited as producer on the short per its SXSW listing (Deadline).

Krekis will direct the feature adaptation from his own script. The Fold's Jennifer Monks and Michelle Stein will produce alongside Temple Hill Entertainment, whose Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Ben Levine and Ethan Cappello oversee the project. Josh Mack and Lauren Botchan are shepherding it for New Line (Deadline).

Following the bidding war, Anonymous Content signed Krekis for representation in the United States, with TheWrap reporting the deal exclusively (Yahoo/TheWrap). He continues to be represented by Francesca Devas at Independent Talent Group in the UK and Ian McKnight at Anonymous Content.

Krekis is a filmmaker moving quickly. His earlier short films — "Pram Snatcher" (funded by the BFI), "Memoirs of a Geeza" and "Mangas" — all premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. He is currently developing his second feature with BBC Film, writing an original six-part television series called "Blossom" with Clerkenwell Films, and contributing to a new series from the creator of "Peaky Blinders" for Kudos (Deadline).

What makes this stand out is the path from a regional BBC commission to a Hollywood auction in a matter of months. A short film funded through a Midlands writers' programme, aired on a free-to-stream public service platform, became the centrepiece of a ten-party bidding war. That trajectory is unusual — most festival shorts never travel beyond the circuit. No production start date, cast, or release window has been announced.