EXCLUSIVE: In advance of Comic-Con 2025, Gale Anne Hurd‘s Valhalla Entertainment (The Walking Dead) has acquired Yuletide, an upcoming Christmas-themed comic book from Oni Press (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), for feature development.
Created by writer George Northy (EC’s Shiver SuspenStories) and artist Rachele Aragno (Mike Mignola’s Leonide the Vampire), with its first issue set to hit stands in October, the comic is described as a fast-paced family adventure in the tradition of The Goonies, Goosebumps, and Hocus Pocus with a horrifying holiday twist. In the story, ancient Norse creatures let loose upon an idyllic Northeastern town at the height of the gift-giving season — and the only three teenagers capable of holding them at bay with an ancient secret tied to the origins of the holiday itself.
Welcome to the small town of Christmas, Pennsylvania – the merriest place on Earth… or so they’d like everyone to think. When December rolls around, these folks pull out all the stops for America’s biggest, brightest holiday display — but not everyone in Christmas, PA, is so enthusiastic. Teenagers Jake, Abe, and Wyn are more interested in the dark side of the holiday that their parents like to pretend doesn’t exist — the ancient legends of mythic monsters and pagan pandemonium that are deeply tied to the festival’s long-forgotten origins. So when their hobby leads them to an abandoned wing of the local Christmas museum to investigate, they’ll discover an ancient relic that, when activated, will bring a furious procession of yuletide horrors long since banished from our plane — and with it, a darkness that has been waiting centuries for its chance to overtake the world.
Northy – a writer/producer best known for his work on Charmed for The CW and his recent comics debut as part of Oni’s best-selling EC Comics relaunch – will produce and script the adaptation. Hurd and Phillip Kobylanski will produce for Valhalla Entertainment, alongside David Steward II, Hunter Gorinson, and Jeremy Colfer for Oni Press.
In a statement to Deadline, the comic’s author Northy said, “I’ve long been fascinated by the dark, strange, obscure Yuletide monsters from various cultures, from Germany to Iceland to Wales. The way these demons have been buried and forgotten felt like the perfect metaphor for how we often bury our own darkness and personal demons throughout the holidays. If Buffy taught us “High School can be Hell,” then Yuletide will show that the best way of dealing with our own holiday demons isn’t by pretending they aren’t there, it’s by facing them together.”
Valhalla Entertainment’s Hurd said, “There is so much fantastic lore of the midwinter that runs the risk of being forgotten to time. With Yuletide, George and Rachele have given us the perfect opportunity to bring those larger-than-life characters back to life so they can continue to haunt us for generations to come.”
Added Hunter Gorinson, President & Publisher at Oni Press, “Every once in a while, a team of creators emerges with a pitch so inspired, so compelling, and so dead-center on the bullseye that it immediately provokes one question: ‘Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’ So it was with George and Rachele’s vision for YULETIDE – a story that comes joyously filled with heart, humor, and adventure like so many gifts tightly packed into a Christmas stocking. This is a holiday story you’ll know by heart in just a few years’ time, and we couldn’t ask for better partners in bringing to the page and screen.”
An iconic producer known for her work on franchises like The Walking Dead and Terminator, along with classic one-offs like Armageddon, Hurd’s Valhalla wrapped up its spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead in 2023. Other recent projects include Tales of the Walking Dead and Syfy’s Hunters.
Oni Press is an indie comics imprint that has spurred many influential adaptations, including director Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (based on creator Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series), director Sam Hargrave’s Extraction franchise for Netflix, and director David Leitch’s Atomic Blonde. Yuletide joins a development slate that also includes Hargrave’s Kill Them All, based on the graphic novel by cartoonist Kyle Starks, for Paramount Pictures.
