Key Highlights
- New Book Announcement: Joe Bob Briggs will release Joe Bob Fights for the Drive-In, a hardcover art book compiling his writings.
- Release Date: The book is set to arrive in stores on July 20, 2027.
- Final Special: The last special of The Last Drive-In will be Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, airing on December 4.
- Future Projects: Briggs is exploring new television series and comic adaptations, showcasing his ongoing creativity.
Joe Bob Briggs is keeping busy as The Last Drive-In prepares to reach the end of its run on Shudder. Bloody Disgusting has announced that Dark Horse Books will publish Joe Bob Fights for the Drive-In, an art book-sized hardcover collecting writing from the cult movie host, author, and actor, including rare material that has been unseen for decades.
Featuring cover art by Eric Powell (The Goon, Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?), illustrations by Mike Norton (Battlepug, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957—From Below), and an introduction by Wayne Newton, the book will bring together material from Briggs’ early years as a drive-in movie critic. It draws from his previous collections Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In and Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive-In, while adding previously uncollected columns that have never appeared in book form.
Joe Bob had this to say about the book:
“I originally planned to just put Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive-In back into print and call it a day. Instead, we decided to blow the doors wide open. Joe Bob Fights for the Drive-In brings together columns and letters from both Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In and Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive-In, plus a treasure trove of reviews that haven’t seen the light of day since they first ran in newspapers and magazines decades ago. Dark Horse is helping me bring the ultimate drive-in testament to a whole new generation of mutants.”
Joe Bob Fights for the Drive-In arrives in comic shops and bookstores on July 20, 2027. Preorders are now available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the aforementioned comic shops and bookstores.
The announcement comes as Briggs prepares to say goodbye to Shudder’s The Last Drive-In, but the host has plenty of other projects on the horizon. Between a new book, an audiobook, a MonsterVision comic, a possible new television series, a production company, a GWAR album, and a feature film appearance, Briggs is showing no signs of slowing down.
What Is Joe Bob Briggs’ Schedule After The Last Drive-In?
The new book follows last year’s release of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In, an updated and expanded hardcover edition of Briggs’ long-out-of-print collection. A new audiobook version of that book will be released on December 15, 2026.
Briggs is also preparing for the end of The Last Drive-In, which debuted on July 13, 2018, with a 13-movie marathon. At the time, he thought the event might be his last opportunity to host a movie marathon. Instead, the overwhelming response from viewers crashed Shudder’s servers and helped convince the streaming service to give him an ongoing series. Across seven seasons and numerous specials, Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl, played by Diana Prince, hosted more than 200 movies, sharing their knowledge of horror history, exploitation cinema, cult favorites, and the many strange stories behind the films they presented. The show was directed by Austin Jennings and produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell of Not the Funeral Home.
The final Shudder special will be Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, a Shudder Original featuring two holiday horror classics. The official description reads: “Deck the halls with bones and bodies for Joe Bob Conquers Christmas! Horror legends Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl ring in the festive season with two Christmas classics that ‘ruined’ the holiday upon release – all while raising money through their annual charity fundraiser.”
The special will air live on Shudder TV on Friday, December 4, at 9 p.m. ET, followed by an on-demand release on Sunday, December 6. Previous holiday specials have included charity auctions that helped the show raise $1 million for charitable causes over the years, giving Briggs and Darcy one more opportunity to bring their devoted audience together for a good cause before their Shudder obligations are complete.
Is Joe Bob Briggs Working on a New Television Series?
Although the end of The Last Drive-In initially left fans wondering where they would see Briggs next, the host has already been exploring his options for a new television series. After the cancellation was announced, Briggs told Variety that offers for another show had started coming in. He was interested in hearing what fans wanted from his next project, whether that meant continuing his familiar movie-hosting format or trying something different.
One possibility is a show focused on forgotten films from decades past. Briggs has expressed an interest in movies that have not been worn out through repeated screenings and familiar discussion. As he explained to Fangoria, the sweet spot for forgotten cult movies is 1969 to 1977, and he wants the new series to be “all about forgotten stuff rather than beloved horror classics.” That approach could bring a wider variety of genres to his next project.
Briggs previously hosted Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel from 1986 to 1996 and TNT’s MonsterVision from 1996 to 2000, presenting an assortment of movies before disappearing from television for 18 years. His return with The Last Drive-In introduced a new generation to his distinctive approach to movie hosting.
Briggs has also discussed plans to launch a genre-film production company with his longtime friend Bob Bernie of Picturehouse. The project was already moving forward when he spoke to Variety earlier this year, with a production slate and projects in development.
How Is MonsterVision Returning?
Briggs and Darcy are also returning to MonsterVision in comic book form. Dynamite Entertainment is publishing MonsterVision Featuring Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy #1, written by David Avallone and illustrated by Edu Menna. The comic sends the duo on a monster-hunting adventure, bringing their television partnership into a new medium. The first issue is scheduled to arrive in comic shops on December 23, 2026.
What Other Projects Does Joe Bob Briggs Have?
Briggs’ upcoming audiobook edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In will be narrated by Briggs himself. The expanded collection features his original drive-in columns, movie reviews, fan letters, and famously unfiltered responses. The DRM-free digital audiobook is scheduled for release on December 15, with preorders available through his official website.
He has also teamed up with shock-rock legends GWAR for GWAR and the Last Drive-In-Stein, an album celebrating GWAR’s more than four decades of musical mayhem and Briggs’ 40 years of television history. The vinyl release is scheduled for November 13 through Pit Records.
Briggs has another screen appearance on the way too. He has an acting role in the creature feature The Eye from Beyond, which stars Fright Night‘s William Ragsdale and Sleepaway Camp‘s Felissa Rose.
Taken together, these projects show that Briggs has plenty to occupy his time after Shudder. Whether he is revisiting his early newspaper writing or bringing MonsterVision to comic shops or developing a new television show or teaming up with GWAR, the drive-in spirit is hardly disappearing.
And for longtime fans,Joe Bob Fights for the Drive-In offers an appealing opportunity to revisit Briggs’ familiar mix of movie criticism, humor and drive-in philosophy while discovering writing that has been out of circulation for decades. Will you be buying a copy? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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