It’s a big year for video game adaptations. Between The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Mortal Kombat II, it might not seem like there’s room for anything else to make a digital splash – unless there’s a bigshot YouTuber out there that fancies adapting, directing, starring in, and editing David Szymanski’s indie game, Iron Lung. Well, that’s exactly what Markiplier has done, and Iron Lung is landing at Cineworld from 29th January.
Based on the video game of the same name, which started out on Windows and then the Nintendo Switch, Iron Lung recently arrived on PlayStation 5 and Android. Foreseeing the appetite for a movie adaptation, this is everything we know about Iron Lung, the completely self-financed project by Markiplier (Mark Fischbach).
What is the plot of Iron Lung?
The inevitable has happened and human beings have colonised space. Following an event called “The Quiet Rapture”, however, the stars and habitable planets have suddenly disappeared. A convict (Fischbach) is thus sent out to wade through an ocean of blood discovered on an otherwise barren moon in a cramped, submarine called the “Iron Lung”.
Iron Lung was a video game first
First a video game created by David Szymanski, it’s described as a submarine simulation horror game. Players navigate an ocean of blood on an uninhabited moon in a submarine delightfully named the “Iron Lung”. The video game was first released on Windows in March 2022, and later in the same year was released on Switch.
In October 2025, the game arrived on PS5, and then became available to play on Android devices too in December.
Iron Lung saw an uptick in popularity following the events of the imploding Titan submersible in June 2023. Prior to this, however, in April 2023, Mark Fischbach (Markipilire) announced his intentions to adapt Iron Lung into a horror film.
Who is in the Iron Lung cast?
All you need is a little help from your friends. Markiplier brought in his YouTube pals to help with this one, including Seán McLoughlin. Caroline Rose Kaplan also stars, better known for being behind the camera with recent credits including Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.
- Mark Fischbach
- Caroline Rose Kaplan
- Seán McLoughlin
- David Szymanski
- Troy Baker
- Elsie Lovelock
- Isaac McKee
Iron Lung release date
Iron Lung will be released at Cineworld on 29th January.
What is the runtime of Iron Lung?
The runtime for Iron Lung is 127 minutes. That’s around 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Iron Lung age rating
An age rating for Iron Lung has not yet been determined in the UK, although it has been given an R rating in the States for bloody imagery, gore, and language. This usually translates to a 15 in the UK, though keep an eye on our listing page for Iron Lung for confirmation closer to release.
Who is Markiplier?
Markiplier (real name, Mark Fischbach, is an American YouTuber turned actor and filmmaker. He grew his following through his “Let’s Play” video series in which he streamed himself playing independent horror video games.
He has amassed more than 38 million subscribers at the time of writing.
Iron Lung used the most fake blood of any horror film ever
Considering our protagonist is roaming around a planet made up entirely of blood, it’s not exactly surprising to hear that Iron Lung, according to Markiplier himself, used the most amount of fake blood of any horror film. He revealed they used approximately 300,000 litres. That’s a whole lot bloodier than the previous holder of this title: Evil Dead (2013)’s 190,000 litres.
It’s no wonder Markiplier had to go to hospital because he got too much fake blood in his eye. 300,000 litres will do that to a person.
Book your tickets to watch Iron Lung at Cineworld from 29th January.
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