Back in Black (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Back in Black is a 2026 comedy thriller set in a wellness-focused small town where death has seemingly disappeared. As mortician Clyde faces financial collapse, his granddaughter Sam proposes an unexpected answer to the family’s crisis, changing the direction of the business.

Back in Black takes place in a small town where extreme devotion to wellness has produced an extraordinary result: nobody dies anymore. For Clyde, the local mortician, that apparent triumph is an economic disaster, leaving his family business close to bankruptcy.

The film follows Clyde and his granddaughter Sam as they confront the consequences of a deathless community. Written and directed by Ron Murphy, with Nick Torokvei also credited as a writer, it combines comedy and thriller elements within a premise built around immortality, family and the funeral business.

Back in Black movie details

Story without spoilers

Clyde is a struggling mortician whose livelihood depends on a service his town no longer needs. With the community’s residents apparently avoiding death altogether, the family funeral business is running out of prospects and moving toward bankruptcy.

Clyde’s granddaughter Sam develops an unexpected solution intended to protect the business. The story centers on the pair’s unusual problem-solving effort, set against a small-town environment shaped by wellness culture and the absence of mortality.

What to expect

The supplied premise points to a darkly comic story with thriller elements rather than a conventional funeral drama. Its central tension comes from the clash between a town committed to staying healthy forever and a mortician whose work has become obsolete.

The film also places a grandfather-granddaughter relationship at the center of its setup. Immortality, the funeral industry and the pressure of saving a family business provide the main narrative ingredients, while the small-town setting gives the premise a contained backdrop.

Cast and creative team

Christopher Walken plays Clyde, the struggling mortician, while Ella Ballentine plays Sam, his granddaughter. The cast also includes Jane Curtin, Cooper Levy as Ricardo, Deborah Grover as Ingrid, Tony Nappo as Sheriff Wiley, Stuart Hughes as Dale, Watson Rose as Charlotte, Josh Richards as Derek and Tom Keat as Matty.

Ron Murphy directs Back in Black and shares writing credit with Nick Torokvei.

• Christopher Walken as Clyde
• Ella Ballentine as Sam
• Jane Curtin
• Cooper Levy as Ricardo
• Deborah Grover as Ingrid
• Tony Nappo as Sheriff Wiley
• Stuart Hughes as Dale
• Watson Rose as Charlotte
• Josh Richards as Derek
• Tom Keat as Matty

Release and production context

Back in Black is a 2026 production from the United Kingdom and Canada, with English as its spoken language. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes and is listed under the comedy and thriller genres. The production companies are Woods Entertainment and Roundtable Entertainment. Its supplied release date is September 13, 2026.

Production companies: Woods Entertainment, Roundtable Entertainment

Movies Dock view

Back in Black is built around a sharply defined comic-thriller premise: what happens to a funeral director when an entire town appears to have defeated death? With Clyde’s financial crisis and Sam’s unconventional plan driving the story, the film offers a compact setup focused on family, immortality and an endangered business.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb