Iron Lung cast and characters: Here's who's bringing the 2026 horror film to life

Iron Lung is the forthcoming film in the science fiction horror genre. It's written and directed by YouTuber Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) and is his feature-length directorial debut.

It is slated to release via Markiplier Studios on January 30, 2026. Here's the official synopsis as per IMDb:

"In a post-apocalyptic future after "The Quiet Rapture" event, a convict explores a blood ocean on a desolate moon using a submarine called the "Iron Lung" to search for missing stars/planets."

The film is an adaptation of the eponymous indie-horror video game by David Szymanski that came out in 2022. Let's take a look at its cast and characters.

Iron Lung cast and characters revealed

1) Mark Fischbach

Mark Fischbach is playing the protagonist in the film. While his character name is unknown, his role is expected to be that of a convict who has been sent to look for an ocean of blood on an isolated moon through a submarine. Fischbach started his career as a YouTuber and is transitioning into filmmaking with Iron Lung.

2) Seán McLoughlin as voice on speaker

Seán McLoughlin doesn't really appear in the film. But he is present throughout the storyline as a voice on the speaker. He is connected to Mark's character and helps him guide the midget submarine on the moon. Sean is an Irish YouTuber who runs a channel called jacksepticeye. He had co-founded a clothing brand named Cloak with Mark.

3) Other cast members of the film

Caroline Rose Kaplan
David Szymanski
Elle LaMont
Troy Baker
Elsie Lovelock
Isaac McKee
Kazuki Jalal

More about Iron Lung

Iron Lung is produced by Mark Fischbach, Will Hyde, and Jeff Guerrero under the banner of Markiplier Studios. The film is shot by Philip Roy, while Fischbach is the editor. Its music is composed by Andrew Hulshult.

The premiere will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown in Los Angeles on December 12, 2025. The film will be released in independent cinema halls from January 30th to February 1 next year in around 50 to 100 screens. Mark is also self-distributing this project and has collaborated with independent cinema owners across the nation.

The film's shooting was completed in April 2023, and the news was announced by Mark via a video. In a statement provided to Variety about the film, Fischbach said,

"They said it shouldn’t be done. Not that it couldn’t be done, people have made movies before, just that it would be ‘woefully unwise’ to tackle writing, directing, acting and editing a movie myself. Showed them. My bathroom might be a render farm now but I can’t wait for people to see the blood, sweat, blood, tears, blood and blood that went into this movie from everyone involved. [The film holds a world record] “for most blood in a horror movie. Or any movie for that matter.”

Markiplier has more than 73 million followers across different platforms. On YouTube, he has 37 million subscribers. Besides that, he also runs a podcast series and has starred in several YouTube shows.