Movie adaptations of video games seem to never quite hit the mark.
As good as the Resident Evil series may or may not be, it never quite captures the suspenseful horror that the original game manage to imbue in the player. For its budget, the two Prince of Persia movies were quite disappointing for fans, prompting mixed reviews despite raking in the big bucks.
Perhaps emboldened by the recent success of comic book heroes re-imagined for the big screen, studio executives have once again ventured into our favourite games for new material. Despite the belief that games should be left alone, the depth and quality of the story found in some of today’s games already qualify them as the perfect movies.
As we already know, Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed are next up on the filming slate. Progress is slow but Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender have been tapped to star in the respective franchises. Fans of the games are cautiously optimistic. It certainly helps that Hardy and Fassbender are in the enviable position of being both industry as well as fan favourites. Anxieties are further sated by the knowledge that Ubisoft, the developer for both games, does not intend to relinquish creative control, like it did for Prince of Persia.
Now it seems that gamers have another title they can look forward to in the theaters.
Another Ubisoft title, Watch Dogs, already has writers attached to script the movie. Announced at Ubisoft’s E3 2012 Press Conference, Watch Dogs is an open-world urban survival game with a measure of tactical stealth action thrown into the mix.
From the game’s official site:
Set in Chicago, where a central network of computers connects everyone and everything, Watch Dogs explores the impact of technology within our society. Using the city as your weapon, you will embark on a personal mission to inflict your own brand of justice.
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the men behind Zombieland, G.I. Joe Retaliation and the upcoming Deadpool release, will pen the Watch Dogs movie. However, one could be forgiven for thinking that Hollywood’s counting its eggs before they hatch, as the Watch Dogs game that the movie is based on is not even out yet!
Despite this, judging by the buzz the game has generated in last year’s demos, the producers seem to be merely getting ahead of the curve and capitalising on what many are expecting to be a landmark game on the new generation of consoles.
For the game, snagging a movie deal even before its May 27 release is sure to generate even more buzz, not only in the gaming world, but across the mainstream media as well. The technology reflected in the game’s story makes it very relevant today’s world, enhancing its media appeal. All things considered, it is perhaps not so surprising that Sony Pictures wants to get into the race for gamers’ dollars and is banking on a popular Ubisoft title to make it a very worthwhile investment.
With this announcement, speculation will start to fly with regards to who should play Aiden Pearce, the protagonist in the game. The fact that we’ve only seen bits of him won’t deter the gaming universe on placing their bets and championing their favourites.
Who do you think would be perfect for the role? Would it be another British actor? They seem all the rage these days. Who would you want to take on the role? An unknown actor or a Hollywood heavyweight like lets say, Tom Cruise?
Also read: Temple Run could turn into a movie; an actor running for 90 minutes and collecting coins?