Call Sheet Media Acquires Sci-Fi Horror Feature The Cursed from Award-Winning Author Costi Gurgu

Award-Winning Author Costi Gurgu Brings Ancient Alien Mythology, Body Horror, and Interstellar Adventure to an Ambitious New Sci-Fi Feature

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, August 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Call Sheet Media is pleased to announce its acquisition of The Cursed, a future-set sci-fi horror feature from award-winning author Costi Gurgu. Blending interstellar adventure, ancient alien mythology, body horror, archeological mystery, and high-stakes survival, The Cursed introduces a cinematic world where lost civilizations, forbidden technology, and resurrected gods collide.

The Cursed follows Jo Warwick, a ruthless future archeologist who accidentally activates an ancient bone-weapon and becomes the carrier of a dormant alien bioparasite long misunderstood as a curse. When red sigils spread across her body and she falls into a coma, the horror only begins. As the parasite awakens in the presence of Dark Matter Core technology, Jo discovers that her touch can transmit a terrifying transformation, mutating victims into insectile monsters and unleashing carnage aboard the ship.

The project’s tagline captures the scale and menace of the story: “The Gods are not dead. They’re waiting in the dark between the stars.”
As the threat spreads, Jo Warwick and Toshi Hunter are forced into a desperate race across a dangerous future universe. Joined by a hunted pirate crew and pursued by hostile forces, they must uncover the origin of a lost civilization, extract an antidote, and prevent the return of a resurrected alien god intent on exterminating Earth. Standing in their way are Comet, Captain Vandermeer, and Rotto, each representing different dangers in a galaxy where ancient forces and modern ambition have become equally lethal.

“The Cursed immediately stood out because of its scale, mythology, and genre intensity,” said a Call Sheet Media spokesperson. “Costi Gurgu has created a sci-fi horror property with the propulsion of an interstellar treasure hunt and the visceral threat of a biological nightmare. It is expansive, cinematic, and built around a powerful commercial hook: what if the thing we call a curse is actually an ancient alien system waiting to reactivate?”

Gurgu brings significant literary and genre credibility to the project. His fiction has appeared in Canada, the United States, and Europe. He has sold nine books and more than fifty stories, earning thirty-seven awards for his fiction. He has also been a three-time finalist for the Canadian Aurora Awards and a multiple finalist in screenplay competitions.

His bestselling novel RecipeArium won the Kult, Nemira, and Vladimir Colin awards and was a 2018 finalist for the Aurora Awards. His novels Servitude, Green Corrosion, Pink Corrosion, and Black Corrosion were published between 2022 and 2025, with Green Corrosion winning the Book Excellence Award, The Typesmith Writers Award, The International Impact Book Award, and the Maincrest Media Award. His latest novel, The Cursed, launched on April 1, 2026, and the screenplay version has already been named a finalist in three screenplay competitions.

Before building his career as an author, Gurgu worked as a lawyer, became Art Director for Playboy Magazine and several other publications, and later moved into User Experience Design. Across his creative career, he has developed a distinctive voice rooted in speculative imagination, genre momentum, and complex worldbuilding.

“Costi Gurgu’s The Cursed is a high-octane science fiction adventure that blends interstellar intrigue with the pulse and momentum of a treasure-hunt thriller,” said Canreads Book Review. “Imagine The Expanse infused with the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, and you begin to grasp the propulsive charm of this galaxy-spanning novel.”

With its combination of alien bioparasites, ancient technology, body horror, pirate crews, lost civilizations, and apocalyptic stakes, The Cursed offers a bold screen property for audiences drawn to sci-fi horror, space adventure, survival thrillers, and mythology-driven genre filmmaking.

About Costi Gurgu

Costi Gurgu is an award-winning author whose fiction has appeared in Canada, the United States, and Europe. He has sold nine books and more than fifty stories, earning thirty-seven awards and multiple award finalist placements, including three Canadian Aurora Award finalist honors. His novels include RecipeArium, Servitude, Green Corrosion, Pink Corrosion, Black Corrosion, and The Cursed. His creative background includes work as a lawyer, magazine art director, user experience designer, and lifelong storyteller.

Thomas Haldeman
Call Sheet Media LLC
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