Most Anticipated Video Game Movies!!

Movies based on video games have a bad history. Most of them are bad, and the worst of them are an insult to the source material that spawned them. But, we must always hold out hope that one day our favorite game franchises can be realized on the big screen in a way that we can be proud of.

While that may be hoping against hope, there is a part of me that still believes that one day the right people will get the script to one of my favorite games and make that film with passion,  respect to the source material, and bring it to life in a way that every great game franchise deserves when it is optioned for adaptation.

Going from one medium to another is never an easy feat, gaming and film; while sharing many similarities still have big differences that set them apart. While both are a visual medium that depends as well on the quality of its sound and music, the big differences lie in how the audience interacts with these two mediums.

Because of these interactive differences, the manner in which the story is progressed, as well as the way that the audience gets to know and care about the characters can be vastly divergent. What this means is that a direct adaptation is just not reasonable. A movie does not have 30+ hours to develop its characters, and take a character and his friends step by step through an epic quest. This is why they must be adapted to tell the same story in less time, usually between an hour and a half up to two or three hours. Maybe the story needs to be split between two or more installments to be able to tell the whole story. The point is, sacrifices must be made, this is understandable, and forgivable if done in service of the story, characters, and source material.

More often than not, this fails. We are given films based on beloved games that shirk their responsibility to the source material in favor of twisting the story and characters to meet their own needs, or take the easy way out by half-assing it, and giving us a product that is sub-par and insulting to the fans who love the game.

That being said, these are some rumored movies based on video game franchises that word has it are currently in various stages of development, or are currently being considered as a project for the near future.

THE WITCHER-

 

Recently, I have developed quite a fondness for the Witcher franchise of games, as well as the books that they are based on. So, you can imagine after hearing that a movie could be on its way; I became a little wary. CD Projeckt RED has done a masterful job with this franchise, with its swan song; The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt becoming one of the greatest games ever made, and whoever is involved with the making of this film has a hell of a challenge on their hands.

The world of the Witcher is rich, detailed, with an extremely in-depth lore, unique mythical monsters, well written, complex characters and a main character so iconic he has become one of today’s most popular heroes in gaming.

To do this story right, we would need a film on the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. High budget, with amazing casting, a visual director and cinematographer, set design, and make-up effects. The Witcher if done right could easily be a trilogy in which each film wouldn’t be done justice unless each installment was two and a half hours or longer.

The movie currently is slated for 2017, and Sean Daniel (The Mummy films) is set to produce…Please don’t screw this one up..There is so much potential here for this to be the next big block buster.

SEGA IPs-

That’s right! Sega has given their Production team Stories International the go ahead to adapt FORTY of its franchises which includes Shinobi, Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Virtua Fighter, and even Crazy Taxi into either TV series, web series, and feature films. While there has not been any information that any of these are currently in production, Sega making it possible only ensures that EVENTUALLY we will probably start seeing a few of these classic games make it to the big screen.

There is a lot of potential to make some really great films that could transcend their dated source material if done with a keen eye and great writers. Each of these games could be adapted into something special. Let us hope that what we will get are genuine attempts at making something unique with these classics, and not just cheaply made cash grabs attempting to prey on out nostalgia (Which Hollywood LOVES to do these days.)

METAL GEAR SOLID-

One of my favorite game franchises of all time- Metal Gear Solid is a story that spans decades. The story is complex, the characters are multi-faceted, and the writing can be philosophical, and bat-shit insane! We have been warned about a possible live action version of this franchise for years. In my opinion, it can never be done right, and the film we will get is going to be a typical Hollywood CGI mess. But, we can only hope for the best, right?

For Metal Gear Solid, casting is going to be one of the most important aspects. If they cannot get the memorable characters right, then there is no point in trying to make the film at all, they will make or break a Metal Gear Solid film. Now that Kurt Russel is too old to play him, and David Hayter doesn’t act anymore… I can’t think of anyone that could possibly play a perfect Solid Snake, let alone legendary characters like Revolver Ocelot and Liquid Snake.

Word is Sony Pictures is going to move forward with their adaptation of the series, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts rumored to direct and Avi Arad rumored to produce.

MASS EFFECT-

Bioware’s deep, involved, galaxy spanning epic trilogy ensnared the hearts of gamers around the world and still does to this day. The adventure of Commander Shepard and his crew has apparently been in development for quite a long time. But, since there is very little information that has been made public, we really don’t know how the production is going.

Word is that it could still be years before this mega-hit makes it to the silver screen, lets just hope that such an extended production time means that they are perfecting the film and the universe that it is set in…Of course it could be taking this long because it is in development hell, which is much more realistic.

THE LAST OF US-

Naughty Dog’s masterpiece is already well known to be in development. The game’s story writer (Neil Druckmann) is thankfully writing the script to the film. And Sam Raimi’s Ghost Light Productions is producing.

The Last of Us was special because of the relationship between its two main protagonists, if this dynamic, emotional relationship can be replicated on the big screen then it could easily be a hit. The Last of Us is one of those stories that if handled right, could be a truly amazing, heart breaking movie.

These are just a handful of the rumored projects that are on their way to theaters in the near future. Other films such as Splinter Cell, Five Nights at Freddy’s, a new Far Cry, Kane and Lynch, Devil May Cry, InFamous, Mortal Kombat, and others are already said to be optioned or being seriously considered as feature films. Some like Mortal Kombat and Far Cry may be getting another change at the box office.

The potential for great film going experiences are there, and if they are handled well by the right people they could be something very special. But, unless they are made by people who truly have a passion for the stories themselves, then they don’t have a chance and we will be saddled with what we are used to seeing when it comes to movies based on video games… Disappointments.