Netflix Taps Weapons Creator for Grisly Torso True-Crime Adaptation

Zach Cregger is taking a detour from haunted houses to real-world horror: Netflix just snapped up the rights to adapt the true crime graphic novel 'Torso', and Cregger is on board as a producer. He is not writing or directing this one, which is a little surprising given how hot his stock is after 'Barbarian' and 'Weapons'.

So, what is 'Torso'?

Based on the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, 'Torso' tells the story of the Cleveland Torso Murderer in the 1930s, a killer who left decapitated, dismembered bodies scattered around the city. In the book, Eliot Ness is the hard-charging lawman trying to stop what it frames as America’s first serial killer (debatable, historically speaking). As more body parts wash ashore along Lake Erie and the trail refuses to cooperate, Ness and his squad, dubbed 'The Unknowns' in the story, find themselves stuck in a brutal puzzle with almost no usable clues.

The real case is even messier

The Cleveland Torso Murderer — also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run — is a famously grim chapter in American crime. Thirteen victims are definitively tied to the case. The killings centered on Kingsbury Run, a poverty-stricken stretch of Cleveland at the time, known for rough bars, brothels, and a large unhoused population. Ness did lead parts of the investigation in real life, but unlike the book’s dramatic hunt, the killer was never identified.

How this landed at Netflix

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix won a bidding war for the film rights to 'Torso'. Cregger is producing through his Subconscious banner. There is no writer or director attached yet — which is a notable behind-the-scenes wrinkle, because this is one of those legendary hard-to-crack projects that has circled top-tier filmmakers for years. At various points, David Fincher, David Lowery, Paul Greengrass, and Corin Hardy all took runs at adapting this story and walked away.

Where Cregger is right now

Cregger’s momentum is very real. His 2025 film 'Weapons' blew past box office expectations and landed at No. 4 on my Top 25 movies of 2025 list. But for 'Torso', he is staying in the producer lane. He is currently focused on his 'Resident Evil' movie, which is set to hit theaters on September 18, 2026.

• Netflix has the film rights to 'Torso' after a bidding war; Zach Cregger will produce under his Subconscious banner
• He is not writing or directing; no writer or director is attached yet
• 'Torso' adapts the Bendis/Andreyko graphic novel about the 1930s Cleveland Torso Murderer and Eliot Ness’s investigation
• The real case: 13 known victims in Kingsbury Run; killer never identified; Ness did lead parts of the probe
• Past attempts: David Fincher, David Lowery, Paul Greengrass, and Corin Hardy all tried to mount versions
• Cregger’s 'Weapons' was a 2025 box office hit; his 'Resident Evil' movie is dated for September 18, 2026
• No release date yet for 'Torso'

Short version: Netflix bought a grisly, historically sticky murder story with real cinematic potential, a producer who knows his way around dread, and absolutely no creative team in place yet. This could be great — once someone actually writes it.