Kane Parsons Reveals Three ‘Dream Projects’ Fueling Speculation Over Potential Valve Collaboration

Kane Parsons, director of Backrooms, says he is working on three different “dream projects,” sparking endless speculation about a possible collaboration with Valve.

Talking on The Kyle Buchanan Show, Parsons confirmed he has three “dream projects” currently in the works, all while wearing a Valve hoodie. The young director has been open about his love for Valve, particularly Portal and Half-Life.

Earlier this year, Parsons made his big-screen debut with Backrooms, a film adaptation/expansion of his hugely popular web horror series. Since then, he’s become a hot commodity in Hollywood. The filmmaker expressed interest in making a Portal movie around the time of Backrooms’ release, which thrilled fans.

Tomorrow, Kane Parsons comes on The Kyle Buchanan Show to talk about life since the BACKROOMS movie and what he’s working on next. Tune in for the full conversation wherever you watch or listen to podcasts! https://t.co/qu2F31jw1h

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) October 27, 2026

Tomorrow, Kane Parsons comes on The Kyle Buchanan Show to talk about life since the BACKROOMS movie and what he’s working on next. Tune in for the full conversation wherever you watch or listen to podcasts! https://t.co/qu2F31jw1h

After the release of his debut film, Parsons visited Valve’s office, leading some to believe he’s been actively meeting with the developer to bring their IP to life. This wouldn’t be the first attempt at adapting Valve’s franchises, as J.J. Abrams was trying to bring Half-Life and Portal to the big screen. Abrams said in 2021 that he was still developing Portal, and that a script was being actively worked on. However, no one has heard anything since then.

It’s possible Abrams could help produce a Portal film from Parsons, or that Parsons could band together a new creative team. Either way, given the filmmaker’s experience and love for Valve’s IPs, he’d be a great fit. Whether or not Portal or Half-Life are part of these three “dream projects” remains to be seen, but he did note that they belonged to “powerful forces.” He joked that he would be hit with space lasers if he said too much about them, something that doesn’t seem as likely if it were an original IP or a continuation of Backrooms.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.