26 Game Movies To Look Forward To

Are video game movies going to be the next big trend in Hollywood? Based on some heavy research and days of fishing around the internet it has become clear that film studios such as Ubisoft Motion Pictures are willing to enter the ring as a serious contender to bring their specific brand of awesome to the silver screen. Cinematic game adaptations for Ubisoft and many other studios are becoming one of the most popular intellectual properties to consider for future projects. It seems that the list of titles are consistently growing with each year, I am almost certain that I have missed one or two to be perfectly honest. We will love some feedback from all our geeks out there!

 

Check out GeekShizzle’s 26 Game Movies To Look Forward To

 

1. Resident Evil 6 (The Final Chapter) (2014)

Director of the previous three of five Resident Evil flicks, Paul W.S. Anderson will reprise his duties as helmer and pen the script for the upcoming untitled “Resident Evil 6”. The first three films in the massive profit generating franchise are absolute gems, while the rest of the movies are really forgettable. I suppose it comes as good news that “Resident Evil 6” will be wrapping up the franchise with one more action packed film. The sixth installment has tentatively been given the title,
“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter”.

Speaking with Collider in June, the helmer said:

“Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the working title. It may be the final title, but that’s what’s written on the front page of my script”

Milla Jovovich will reprise the iconic role as Alice, and Chinese actor Binging Li will reprise her role as Ada Wong from “Resident Evil: Retribution”.

 

2. Heavenly Sword (2014)

2007’s PS3 released Heavenly Sword is getting the movie treatment again. A series of five traditionally-animated shorts were released prior to, and following, the game’s release. I really enjoyed the game with Nariko on her epic quest to free her tribe and father from King Bohan….where is the sequel Sony? In the meantime, avid fans of the classic game can expect a CGI animated feature focusing on the story of the actual game in cinematic form.  Anna Torv who portrays Agent Dunham in “Fringe” is expected to reprise her role as Nariko. Torv will be joined by Thomas Jane (Punisher) as a character named Loki and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2) as King Bohan.

Source: cinemablend.com

 

3. Dead Rising (2015)  

Capcom’s zombie survival video game “Dead Rising” will be heading to the silver screen courtesy of Crackle who bought the domestic film rights. Tim Carter is hired to pen the script, and he will also produce alongside Tomas Harlan from Contradiction Films (company that produced Mortal Kombat: Legacy). “Transformers” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is also tapped to executive produce.

According to the press release in June:

“Dead Rising takes place during a large-scale zombie outbreak. When a mandatory government vaccine fails to stop the infection from spreading, the four leads must evade infection while also pursuing the root of the epidemic — with all signs pointing to a government conspiracy.”

Source: variety.com

 

4. Payday: The Heist (2015)

The modern-day Robin Hood story is based on the award-winning Sony online video game of the same name. The cooperative first-person shooter game focused on four robbers will see them pull off the biggest financial heist in history. The team of ex Navy SEALS joins forces with the president of a corrupt global bank to clean out his own vault. The original game also include missions to rob drug junkies in an abandoned apartment complex and ambushing a prisoner transport in heavy rain weather, simply for the enjoyment of the players. We are not sure if the movie will also expand on some of the side stories, that would be a nice extra. There isn’t a lot of news for this upcoming pic but it sure would be a fun watch.

Source: imdb.com

 

5. Ratchet and Clank (2015)

“Ratchet and Clank” will be a computer-animated film produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment and distributed by Cinema Management Group.“ TMNT” director Kevin Munroe and “Arthur Christmas” cinematographer Jericca Cleland will helm the pic, with a script from Insomniac Games writer TJ Fixman. The animated movie will also feature the same voice cast utilized in the games. Fans of Ratchet & Clank can expect an origin story of how the duo met, and how they teamed up to save the Solana Galaxy from Chairman Drek and the Blarg.

Source: ign.com

 

6. Metal Gear Solid (2016)

The popular Japanese action game “Metal Gear Solid” has really captured the imagination of gaming geeks in the modern stealth genre. I can only hope that this will see the light of day with Sony Pictures promising a big screen adaptation for years now, but failed to get “on the same page” with Konami “for how to tell the story”.  Things are finally looking up with Sony revealing that they are in “early talks” with “The Kings of Summer” director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to direct the film. Furthermore, “Spider-Man” producer Avi Arad is also expected to lend a hand with the production. Creator Hideo Kojima also confirmed previously that Solid Snake will be the star of the movie….bring it on!

Source: deadline.com

 

7. Sly Cooper (2016)

Furry criminal Sly Cooper is set to make his silver screen debut somewhere in 2016. Sony made the announcement earlier this year which also included the news that Bentley the Turtle and Murray the Hippo will be included in the full length feature. The CG animated movie is described as a “kinetic and comedic heist film” that will tell the story of orphaned raccoon thief Sly Cooper and his childhood friends .

Here’s the full description for the pic:

“Sly learns of his birth family’s secret legacy; that he comes from a long line of talented and international thieves. Endowed with this knowledge, Sly and his friends are catapulted into a global adventure as they race to reassemble pieces of an ancient book holding The Cooper Clan’s family secrets before it can fall into the hands of Clockwerk – an evil Russian metallic owl bent on ending the Cooper family line. From romantic Parisian backdrops to the lush mountains of China, gritty film noir meets bright, colorful graphic novels in this origin story of the world’s greatest thief-turned-hero.”

“TMNT” (2007) director Kevin Munroe wrote the screenplay and will direct the movie.

Source: gamespot.com

 

8. Mass Effect (2018-2019) 2016?

The long gestating Mass Effect Movie seems to be the most anticipated adaptation to big screen in decades. Universal Pictures has staked out Friday, November 4, 2016, for a secret tentpole that is being co-financed with Legendary Pictures, and most gaming/movie geeks are almost certain that Mass Effect might finally get the long-awaited go-ahead.  The game series is largely built on verbal interactions with people from all over the galaxy which poses many challenges when writing a movie script is concerned, especially if the source material includes the complex storyline of the first installment. “Oldboy” remake screenwriter Mark Protosevich attempted to write the screenplay for the Mass Effect movie but failed to finish due to the aforementioned reasons. Protosevich was replaced by newcomer Morgan Davis Foehl to take over the writing duties. No additional updates are available

Sources: hollywoodreporter.com, badassdigest.com

 

9. Assassin’s Creed (2015)

Considering Michael Fassbender is attached as the lead for the much talked about “Assassin’s Creed” movie, can this project  be any hotter right now! Fassbender shared his thoughts on the upcoming pic while speaking with IGN back in April, he said:

“There’s so much cool stuff in the game that we’re actually spoiled for choice in terms of what we can use and what we can’t, but we also want to bring new elements to it and perhaps our own version of things that already exist in the game.”

Deadline reports that Aussie filmmaker Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders, The Turning) will helm the pic. Kurzel worked with Fassbender before while filming “MacBeth”.

 

10. Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)

Xavier Gen’s 2007 “Hitman” starring Timothy Olyphant failed to impress critics and gaming geeks, even thought the movie still turned a profit, with more than enough movie goers making the time to watch the film. 20th Century Fox has officially decided to reboot the franchise entirely with Rupert Friend (Homeland) cast as titular hitman.

Speaking at the Comic-Con 2014 press conference, Zachary Quinto (who will be playing John Smith) reassured fans that “Agent 47” will not be disappointed:

“It’s eight years on since they made [the first] movie. I think technology and cinematography have evolved in a lot of ways, I think it’s very different visually. There’s a scale to this movie and a dynamic to it, there’s a sleekness to it, that I think separates it a little bit form that previous film. But again, times are different, and appetites have changed, and people have higher expectations for visual effects and special effects – and I think that’s what this movie is based in, it’s what we’re trying to pursue, at the same time as trying to be something rooted in character and the dynamics of those relationships.”

Production on the reboot started early this year.

Source: collider.com

 

11. Angry Birds (2016)

Rovio has all of us addicted to their wildly popular game “Angry Birds”, and now we will also get a big screen adaptation featuring the ill tempered attacking birds. The upcoming movie marks Rovio’s first foray into feature films, while releasing weekly “Angry Birds Toons” to give a sneak peek of what’s in store. The “Angry Birds Toons” has been a massive success, surpassed more than 1,000,000,000 views in its first seven months. The big screen animation will be helmed by first time directors Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis with a script penned by “The Simpsons” writer Jon Vitti.

Source: rovio.com

 

12. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (2016)

Sony is developing an “Uncharted” video game movie with “Horrible Bosses” and “Identity Thief “ helmer Seth Gordon attached to take seat behind the lens. Set for a production start date of 2015, the “Uncharted” movie will tie-in with the upcoming game release “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End”. Pegged as an action comedy flick, the role of Nathan Drake is still up for grabs as far as we know. Mark Wahlberg was lined up to play Drake back when David O. Russell was still attached as director. The Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones-esque video game movie is high on our radar of things to watch in 2016.

Source: gamespot.com

 

13. Warcraft (2015)

We’ve been screaming for a Warcraft movie for ages now, and finally our prayers have been answered.  The much talked about flick started shooting in January this year, with a release date set for March 11th, 2016. Director Duncan Jones revealed that the story of the film was originally focusing on humans and the Alliance side, but soon became about “being a hero no matter what side you’re on.” The cast of the film includes Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky, Dominic Cooper, Daniel Wu, and Clancy Brown. The initial script was written by Charles Leavitt and then rewritten by Jones.

Screenrant.com says we have much to look forward to with efforts aligned to deliver a film within the scope of “Lord of the Rings”. This is what the site had to say:

“Warcraft‘s events will reportedly unfold against the backdrop of Orcs & Humans andTides of Darkness, the first two installments in the beloved series, rather than the looser, more open-air experience of World of Warcraft. Not content simply to slavishly reinterpret the feel of the game for a different medium, Jones apparently plans on going full-bore with the fantasy elements and crafting a legitimate genre film as well as a bona fide video game movie; picture the scope of Lord of the Rings, but with characters like Khadgar, Medivh, and Lothar serving as leads.”

 

14. Dead Island – TBC

Gaming geeks will remember the buzz back in 2011 when corridor talks became open discussions about the possibility of making a big screen adaptation of the popular Deep Silver zombie game, ‘Dead Island’. Lionsgate initially won the movie rights leaving us with high hopes and nothing to show for it. This is the perfect time to consider a go at this project due to the huge success horror films enjoyed over the past two years. We have seen indie style horror films take the podium as top sellers at the box-office which include flicks such as “Insidious”, “Insidious 2”, “The Conjuring” , “The Purge” and “The Purge :Anarchy” to name a few. Indie production Occupant Entertainment and publisher Deep Silver is back on track to produce and finance the flick. Production for ‘Dead Island’ is expected to kick-off early 2015, with the hopes of a 2016 release date.

Source: Deadline

 

15. Deus Ex: Human Revolution – TBC

The big screen take on “Deus Ex” leaped forward with Sinister writer/director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill who were attached to the project some time ago. Unfortunately Derrickson left the project to helm Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange” instead, also leaving a gaping hole behind with Deus Ex set to get a new script. The project is back on track thanks to “Predators” screenwriter Michael Finch who is hired to write a fresh script. No cast or director has been hired yet. According to IGN.com, “The Deus Ex film will be based off 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with the project starring Adam Jensen. While there’s no word on how closely the movie will follow the Square Enix game, it’s understood that the plot will follow Jensen — who will be mechanically augmented — unraveling a worldwide conspiracy.”

 

16. Gran Turismo – TBC

“The Fast and Furious” franchise has paved the way for fast car epic action movies to take the podium in Hollywood. Sony Pictures announced last year that they are developing a film version of the best-selling racing video game series Gran Turismo, but no additional news has been made available about the project since then. We still have no director, writer or stars announced for the upcoming pic, except for the inclusion of “Fifty Shades of Grey” producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti who are handling the project. The video game series is one of the biggest Playstation franchises with a guaranteed movie marked boost, having sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.

Source: thewrap.com

 

17. Just Cause: Scorpion Rising – TBC

The big screen adaptation has been stuck in development hell for the last three years with no end in sight for avid fans of the action-adventure video game.  “Just Cause: Scorpion Rising” was the talk of the town at one stage four years ago, with the last available updates published by the Hollywood Reporter detailing an exchange of writers for the upcoming movie. There were some speculation that “Just Cause 3” could potentially have a movie tie-in upon its release, and come out with the next-gen consoles. The speculation and hopes of that turned out to be something that fell through the cracks. The standard gameplay for “Just Cause” span over 400 square miles of open-world madness. Seeing a movie done right for “Just Cause” could be the stuff dreams are made of. The last reports published on the internet briefly mentioned that the movie has received a new writer, Bryan Edward Hill, who is re-writing parts of the script originally put together by Michael Ross.

 

18. Last of Us – TBC

Naughty Dog’s “The last of us” is at the top of most geeks lists of popular games to be adapted to big screen. It is one of the most cinematic games we have ever played, our gaming go to guy even stated boldly that “The Last of Us” is the best game of this console generation”…… “of any generation!”. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the highly decorated director/producer Sam Raimi showing interest in a project that involves one of the most critically acclaimed video games to hit the market in decades. Raimi revealed that he’s working on “The Last of Us” film for Screen Gems under his Ghost House banner with Naughty Dog Creative Director Neil Druckmann penning the screenplay. Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra will also produce along with game director Bruce Straley. The scribe said he was strongly considering a different ending from the game, but Raimi told him to keep the original ending more or less. With Raimi secured as producer along with a huge creative team, the only box not ticked is the unannounced director. Rumor has it that “Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams is in talks to star as Ellie.

Source: thewrap.com

 

19. Minecraft – TBC

“The Lego Movie” has inspirited Warner Bros. to develop a big screen movie for the building block video game “Minecraft”. At first glance we assumed the game movie would be another animated effort but reports confirm that the Sweden made game will receive the live-action treatment. Plot details are still vague, but fans suspect that “Stan” and associated characters will be the centre of the pic, with “creepers, spiders, zombies and other monsters” thrown into the mix. “The Lego Movie” producer Roy Lee and Jill Messick (“Mean Girls”) will serve as producers on the upcoming pic. The sandbox indie game reached cult status among fans, receiving critical acclaim for its open-ended design and creative freedom. The XBox version has already sold over 10 million copies.

 

20. Mortal Kombat reboot – TBC

Here is another movie project with a dead trail, but is still slated to be released somewhere in the future. Mortal Kombat fans will remember the viral independent teaser trailer, “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth” and the “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” web series masterminded by Kevin Tancharoen. It’s been over three years since Tancharoen’s success with his small MK projects, and the announcement that he earned himself a seat as director for the full-length feature film reboot of the series. Geeks waited in anticipation only to find a Tweet from the helmer 9 months ago stating that he is pursuing other creative projects without as much as a word explaining why he moved on. Hopefully the project will be kept alive with the director’s seat handed over to a suitable helmer. No replacement has been indentified since Tancharoen left the project.

Sources: deadline.com

 

21. Shadow of the Colossus – TBC

“Shadow of the Colossus” also spent time in development hell but recent reports indicate that there is hope for the game to be adapted to big screen. In fact, there is more than just hope! “Chronicle” director Josh Trank is onboard to helm the project. In an interview with Edge-Online back in February, Trank shared some insight into his passion for the game but remained fairly tight-lipped about the film.

He said:

“I can’t talk about it, but I’ll say just one thing: I got ‘Ico’ as soon as it came out, and I just loved that game so much. I knew immediately when I read that [Team Ico was] making a new one that I wanted to go out and get it as soon as it came out, too, and it just blew me the f**k away. A couple of years later, I remember seeing in Variety that it had been optioned. I must have been 22 or something, and I just knew, ‘Oh my God, if somebody’s doing that, I have to somehow get in there and make sure it’s done the right way.’ It was one of the first calls I made after ‘Chronicle’ came out – when I realized I could make calls about things. I was like, ‘Hey, what’s going on with that?’ We’re working on it.”

Hollywood is keen to see Trank take on additional tent pole projects due to his $126 million surprise hit with “Chronicle”, made on a budget of only 15 million.

 

22. Splinter Cell – TBC

Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures are the official frontrunners to adapt Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell to big screen, in association with Regency. Hollywood breakthrough actor Tom Hardy is confirmed to take on the role as Sam Fisher in the adaptation. “Edge of Tomorrow” director Doug Liman is in final negotiations to helm the pic, with a script by Eric Warren Singer (“The International”). This will be one of the best adaptations if the production team and leading actor is anything to go by.

Liman spoke to IGN about the stealth game movie. He revealed that Hardy’s input is also required to ensure the success of the script:

“I’m working on the script with Tom Hardy. I think we have a great take on how to make an awesome film out of that.”

Liman also revealed that Hardy is definitely playing a younger version of Sam Fisher:

“Everything about ‘Splinter Cell’ will be younger. It’s a chance to come up with a new franchise that is fresher and newer and younger, and Tom Hardy is such an incredible actor.”

No official release date has been confirmed yet.

 

23. Temple Run – TBC

The Hollywood Reporter shared the news about the “Temple Run” movie adaptation 9 months ago  that producer David Heyman (the Harry Potter series) is in negotiations to shepherd Temple Run into big screen production for Warner Bros. Little is known about the direction of this adaptation other than that it will use the Temple Run games’ premise (a manic chase between an Indiana Jones type and various sorts of demonic, skull-faced apes) as the starting point for a decently budgeted supernatural adventure.

 

24. Untitled Tomb Raider Reboot – TBC

MGM is currently developing a reboot of the film franchise for “Tomb Raider” largely based on the new games. The new “Tomb Raider” game reboot has taken the gaming geek community by storm as one of the best games to own in 2013. It is without a doubt a very good time to consider a movie franchise reboot with the critically acclaimed “Tomb Raider” game reboot selling more than 1 million copies in less than forty-eight hours of its release. As of June 2014, Tomb Raider has sold over 6.5 million units. The one thing that will determine the success of the reboot is the selection of the iconic female character that has been the driving force behind the franchise. We are talking about Lara Croft obviously, the folks over at kpopstarz.com say that Olivia Wilde and Gina Carano are eyed to replace Angelina Jolie.

Graham King, GK Films founder expressed his thoughts for the planned Tomb Raider reboot movie to Collider:

“It’s something that, for me anyway, is different, you know rebooting a franchise that I didn’t produce to begin with. But there’s something about her character and going back to her roots, and that’s what we’re doing with this. You’re actually gonna meet her before she has all her powers as Lara Croft. It’s more of a character study, but it’s a really fun, fun adventure story.”

Source: variety.com

 

25. Ghost Recon – TBC

Approximately three years have passed since video game publisher/developer Ubisoft announced the upcoming Ghost Recon movie via Ubisoft Motion Pictures. The game series, about a squad of Special Forces who take on highly classified missions, has been due for a big screen adaptation since fans begged for it since the first installment back in 2001.  Since the breaking news, we have seen reports mid last year that Ubisoft teamed up with Michael Bay and Warner Bros. to develop a movie based on the Tom Clancy’s series. Describing Michael Bay as “one of Hollywood’s boldest feature film directors,” Ubisoft says the project has “huge potential” to be a smash hit. We are now waiting in anticipation for some much needed production updates….tick….tock….Ubisoft!

Source: variety.com

 

26. Far Cry – TBC

Simply mentioning “Far Cry” reminds me immediately of the atrocious 2008 movie adaptation of the same name which failed horribly on all levels. Luckily Ubisoft Motion Pictures had the common sense to relook at the movie adaptation for this wildly popular gaming franchise. It’s been almost a year since we received any updates from Ubisoft regarding the newly planned Far Cry movie. We know for a fact that none of the game storylines will be considered as source material for the big screen adaptation. Screenrant.com says that “UMP CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet has stressed that none of their movies will be adaptations of plots from the video games, explaining that, “We will create a brand new story. Always.” GeekShizzle will keep eyes peeled for updates!