‘Piranha: Pacific Nightmare’ – The Franchise Returns With a New Japanese Horror Movie

We had reported way back in 2017 that Roger Corman was producing a new Japanese take on the Piranha franchise titled Summer of Piranha (alternatively titled Piranha JPN and Teeth of the Piranha), but the project never did end up seeing the light of day. Almost 10 years after that original announce, Bloody Disgusting has learned that the film is swimming back to life.

It’s also been given a brand new title: Piranha: Pacific Nightmare.

The story involves a scientist creating a new breed of Piranha/Tuna hybrid that could live in saltwater as a new food source but the DNA mutates into a deadly new species.

Piranha: Pacific Nightmare will be directed by Stens Christensen (Raging Angels), Bloody Disgusting has also learned. Though he passed away back in 2024, Roger Corman will remain credited as an executive producer on the upcoming Piranha franchise installment.

The team is currently running a fundraising campaign over in Japan through the crowdfunding website Camp-Fire, with the project 37% funded at the time of this article being written.

It’s interesting to note that Christopher Lloyd, who starred in Alexandre Aja’s Piranha 3D and that film’s sequel, is currently attached to appear in Piranha: Pacific Nightmare.

IX Film Group Inc. and Red Beans Pictures are behind the upcoming horror film.

Piranha: Pacific Nightmare will be the sixth installment in the franchise. The original Piranha, released in 1978, was directed by Joe Dante, and it was followed up with James Cameron’s Piranha 2: The Spawning in 1981 and a made-for-TV remake in 1995. The original was then remade as Piranha 3D in 2010, which itself spawned sequel Piranha 3DD in 2012.