Michael Bay to direct movie about viral meme that ‘could be the next Marvel’

‘Skibidi Toilet’ has millions of followers after becoming a sensation on YouTube

Michael Bay, the man behind the Transformers movie franchise, has officially signed on to direct a film about Skibidi Toilet – a viral meme phenomenon about toilets with talking heads.

In what could be one of the strangest Hollywood studio releases ever, Bay will attempt to craft a feature-length narrative around the YouTube hit, widely popular with Generation Alpha, which is about heads poking out of toilets who engage in ferocious battles with mechanical men made out of televisions, speakers and cameras.

According to a press release by Invisible Narratives, the production company behind the film, Bay has been “collaborating with the architects of his creative team” to bring the Skibidi Toilet film to life.

The team reportedly contains Academy Award-nominated production designer Jeffrey Beecroft (12 Monkeys), and three-time Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor Rob Legato (Titanic, Avatar).

The press release continues: “Since its debut from creator Boom! in February 2023, Skibidi Toilet has evolved into a global phenomenon, captivating audiences with its uniquely distinct style and vast creator ecosystem. The franchise’s flagship YouTube channel and Skibidi Creator Alliance network collectively boast over 110 million subscribers and over 35 billion views, cementing its status as a defining cultural force for Generation Alpha.”

The project was first announced in July 2024, with Invisible Narratives head and former Paramount president Adam Goodman telling Variety that he believes Skibidi Toilet could be “the next Transformers” or “a Marvel universe.”

Skibidi Toilet was first shared in 2023 by its creator Alexey Gerasimov on his YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom! The initial 11-second video showed a man’s head singing and emerging from a toilet. The show quickly exploded in popularity, with each video racking up millions of views.

The series now boasts more than 70 episodes, with the videos often bearing a closer link to first-person shooter video games than traditional action movies. Forbes notes that Gerasimov has cited Bay as an influence.

Michael Bay (AP)

In January, “skibidi” was named as the third most popular slang term among young people. The word has no real definition and can simultaneously mean bad, good or weird, depending on the context of the conversation. It can also be used as a gibberish filler word.

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Children surveyed for the Oxford University Press poll gave examples of when they would use the term, including, “my chances of winning are very skibidi” and, “oh, it’s totally skibidi mode”.