The Austin-based filmmaking duo behind 1997’s The Schedule are making their next project. If that doesn’t ring any bells, then maybe you’ll know Burnie Burns and Matt Hullum better as two of the cofounders of pioneering online studio Rooster Teeth. They have announced they are reuniting for upcoming comedy horror Bad Toys.
Although the duo are associated with Rooster Teeth’s short-form and episodic streaming shows like Red vs. Blue, they’ve both always talked about being filmmakers first and foremost. Aside from The Schedule, the pair were also behind 2015 sci fi comedy Lazer Team (which set a Kickstarter record at the time for the biggest fundraising campaign for a film) and its 2017 sequel, Lazer Team 2. Bad Toys takes them back to their roots with a seasonal chiller designed to creep out anyone with a fear of elves on shelves.
The retro flick will be a new twist on the classic cursed doll story. The synopsis asks, “What if a mischievous Christmas elf brought you what you wanted when you were nice, but made you regret what you asked for if you were naughty?”
Hullum, who wrote and will direct the film, said he started researching elf lore after getting one scare too many courtesy of his wife’s seasonal sense of humor “and discovered that there is a rich and bizarre history of mischievous and even deadly elves spanning back centuries. Bad Toys is my take on turning those spooky old fairy tales into a modern-day holiday adventure… and an excuse to reunite with some of my Rooster Teeth family and our millions of fans from YouTube and around the world.”
Burns, who relaunched Rooster Teeth in 2025 and currently cohosts the Morning Somewhere podcast with his wife, Ashley, will serve as executive producer. He explained that he jumped at the chance to collaborate with Hullum again. “It’s always an honor to work together, and I can’t wait to help bring his creative vision for Bad Toys to the screen.”
Bad Toys is scheduled to begin preproduction early next year with a planned theatrical release just in time for the 2027 holiday season. The project will be produced for Flatiron Pictures by Suzanne Weinert, known on the Austin scene for serving as an executive producer on Kat Candler’s “Hellion,” and a producer on South by Southwest 2019 selection J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius, as well as previously working with Burns and Hullum on Lazer Team 2.
