Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer Álex de la Iglesia is stepping into animation with “Ages of Madness: The Howling of the Jinn.”
The feature film is scheduled to enter production in late 2026, produced by Canary Islands’ 3Doubles Producciones—creators of Goya-nominated SuperKlaus and Norbert—together with Bizkaia-based Sumendi Uhartea.
“Ages of Madness” is heralded by 3Doubles as the landmark adult 3D animated production that finally brings H.P. Lovecraft’s universe to life on the big screen.
The film threads multiple tragic narratives, linked by one of Lovecraft’s masterpieces, his imagining of a legendary forbidden book, Necronomicon—a book said to unleash insanity or fatal horror upon those who read it. Lovecraft’s stories describe the book as containing accounts of the Old Ones, beings who ruled before humans and are fated to return after them.
On Wednesday, at the Annecy Animation Festival, Producciones noted, “Feeding on humanity’s thirst for forbidden knowledge, ‘Necronomicon’ unleashes madness and the chilling certainty that we are nothing more than dust of the Ancient Ones.” The film “explores the fragility of human sanity in the face of the unknown.”
De la Iglesia said, “Before making movies, I used to draw monsters. “I started out creating comic books, and animation has always been there. ‘Ages of Madness’ gives me the chance to reconnect with my roots alongside an incredibly talented team. I am thrilled because, even after so many years in filmmaking, I can still tackle something new with the excitement of day.
Most of De la Iglesia’s works are regarded as dark comedies, though they often weave in elements of horror and drama—as seen in The Last Circus (2010), As Luck Would Have It (2011), Witching & Bitching (2013), The Bar (2017), Perfect Strangers (2017), and Veneciafrenia (2021)—while his satirical ‘satanic comedy’ The Day of the Beast (1995) earned him the Goya Award for Best Director.
On the television side, Álex de la Iglesia has enjoyed an impressive run, writing and directing projects such as The Baby’s Room (2006), the sci-fi parody Plutón B.R.B. Nero (2008), La tragedia de Franco (2009), the global mystery-horror hit 30 Coins (2020–2024) for HBO Europe/Max, and, most recently, 1992 (2024), a dark thriller miniseries for Netflix.
Darío Sánchez, CEO of 3Doubles, said: “I have always been fascinated by the Lovecraftian universe, and being able to bring that cosmic horror to the screen alongside Álex de la Iglesia is a dream come true.” “I am convinced that this is a turning point for our sector: adult animation is booming, and this project will put the Spanish industry on the global map.”
