Screenplay Films is adapting the hit series Zona Merah into a feature film, keeping core cast while adding new faces and elevating the story for theaters
The Indonesian horror property Zona Merah is being adapted into a feature film by Screenplay Films, with production scheduled to run from April to May 2026 and principal photography set to begin on April 7, 2026. The move takes a television success and aims to translate its atmosphere into a compact, intense cinematic format. Directors Sidharta Tata and Fajar Martha Santosa will co-lead the project, with Tata also credited as the screenwriter while Santosa will shepherd overall development to ensure the story coheres in feature form.
The film promises a tougher, more unrelenting tone than the episodic original: survival becomes more urgent and conflicts are scaled up to match a feature-length narrative. Creators say the goal is to push the audience into a sustained state of unease, using tighter pacing and more concentrated character arcs. The production retains the local flavor that made the series distinctive while aiming for a heightened visual and emotional impact suitable for theatrical exhibition.
With both Sidharta Tata and Fajar Martha Santosa at the helm, the production is balancing series continuity with the practical demands of a single-film story. Tata’s role as screenwriter keeps the adaptation rooted in the original narrative DNA, while Santosa’s oversight is intended to unify tone and structure during the transition. Production logistics reflect that ambition: a concentrated shooting window from April to May 2026 indicates a lean, focused schedule designed to deliver a cinematic upgrade without diluting the story’s urgency.
Adapting an eight-episode serial into a feature requires condensing plotlines and intensifying key conflicts. The team plans to preserve essential story beats while restructuring subplots for economy and narrative momentum. This process involves concentrating character development into fewer, higher-stakes scenes and using production design and effects to expand the world economically. The creative intent is to make the film feel both faithful and fresh: recognizable to existing fans yet formidable as a standalone piece for new audiences.
The film brings back several performers from the series while introducing a slate of new actors to broaden the ensemble. Returning players include Aghniny Haque as Maya, Andri Mashadi as Risang, Devano Danendra as Adi, Maria Theodore as Ella, and Lukman Sardi as Zaenal. New cast members joining the project are Luna Maya (Jenny), Bryan Domani (Omar), Shindy Huang (Hana), Myesha Lin (Olivia) and Derby Romero (Tommy). The mix of familiar and fresh talent is intended to deepen ensemble dynamics and broaden the narrative possibilities within the film’s intensified stakes.
Luna Maya is attached both on-screen and behind the scenes as an executive producer, a dual contribution that signals confidence in the project’s commercial and creative potential. Producers describe her involvement as part of a strategy to elevate a local intellectual property into a bigger production footprint. New characters—such as Bryan Domani’s mercenary figure and Shindy Huang’s scientist—are designed to introduce varied perspectives and fresh tensions as the story shifts into a more unforgiving, survival-focused environment.
The original Zona Merah series premiered on November 8, 2026 on the Vidio platform and built recognition through its blend of action and horror set in a Central Javanese locale. The show used regional touches such as the term mayit as a local wording for what mainstream media might call a zombie, anchoring the apocalypse in cultural context. Central plotlines from the series—like Maya’s search for her brother Adi as the community slides into a literal red zone—provide a backbone for the adaptation while leaving room for new storylines that explore darker, more concentrated dilemmas.
The production team has kept the theatrical release date under wraps for now, focusing public attention on the shoot and the creative shift from serial to film. What is clear is the ambition: to turn a domestic hit into a cinematic experience that retains its local specificity while reaching wider audiences. The film aims to be both a continuation of what made the series compelling and a bolder, more claustrophobic encounter with the genre.