Universal Wins in Bidding War For Video Game That Hasn’t Even Been Announced Yet

Posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta

An update to our story from last week: Universal Studios has won the bidding war for EA’s yet-to-be-announced game based on poem “Dante’s Inferno”. [Variety] Our previous story follows.

Hollywood is going crazy for video game properties, which is insane considering most video game adaptations have failed to perform at the box office (aside from Tomb Raider and Resident Evil). Universal, Paramount, New Regency and MGM are currently in a high-stakes bidding war for the rights to a video game which hasn’t even been announced yet.

The Electronic Arts game in question is being called internally “Dante’s Inferno” and is a modern interpretation of the poem. Written by Dante Alighieri in the early 1300’s, the narrative poem describes Dante’s imaginary journey through the nine circles of hell where they see sinners being punished for their sins on Earth. Sounds interesting, but I’d rather the Hollywood studios wait and see how the reactions of the gaming masses before going all batty.

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Adaptation, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Universal, Video Game, 

  • Interesting. The original Dante's Inferno is probably one of my favorite things around. However, EA publisher leads me to believe huge hype and very generic gameplay. I hope the story holds strong in game, but as a translation to film I see complete failure. The storyboards could be there, the writing might be good enough for a tv movie, but the directing is going to be key for the film. If there is not a good screenplay, no reasonable director would take this on.

    What the movie companies should do is promote the current updated version of Dante's Inferno ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479008/ ) . Granted this film was a little bit to the left, but stayed pretty true to the base of the original store with minor updates to punishments and relations to current society. I think this could be the better version of an update.
  • south texas terror
    Why can't the hollywood make a movie based on the poem? Its a bad idea to make a movie based on a video game based on a poem from the 1300's.
  • ilves
    @ south texas terror:

    That's what I was thinking as well. Why do they need rights for the video game when they can just make a movie around the poem that kinda looks the same as the game? Confusing... Then again if they game is going to completely revamp everything they might need rights to use the specific settings, etc.
  • wow. i thought about writing a Dante script a month ago. great. i fucking hate life sometimes.
  • the seventh son
    Oh My God Dante's Inferno is a great book. Also, the song "Dante's Inferno" by Iced Earth is one of the greatest songs of all time. I didn't know they were making a video game about it.....It'll proly be kinda dumb though...... But i've really wanted to see a modern film done about it. Not on the modernized story line though, i want it in the original format, hell and demons and all....not the "oh its like inner city and all this resembalance blah blah blah....." gay.
  • krackajap
    meh, it's made by EA. The game will suck.
  • "...considering most video game adaptations have failed to perform at the box office..."

    >> Yeah, but half of these adaptations where Uwe Boll's creations... and they all SUCKed big time!

    Thank God, Blizzard refused to sell the movie rights of Warcraft to Boll !!!

    As for this game - I don't know. Hollywood is starving for good ideas. Why not game adaptations...
  • jamie
    i am guessing that some studio or person must own the rights to the poem, which is why this bidding war is on the game


    it would help if slash film did a bit of reporting and explained this further
  • nicklogan
    To me it seems like they might be released in conjunction. A few films have their 'tie-in-games' released on the same day the film is (or around the same time).

    Then again it might something along the vein of Kubrick/Clark's 2001:a space odyssey. It might start with the film and then lead into the game where the story picks up and the view is now a few rings in hell and has to fight his/her way out.

    Or it could be something completely original coming from EA and Universal.... lol
  • john
    are there any straight answers floating around about the nature of the game? it must be a specific adaptation if there's an issue of rights. this leads me to believe it IS sandow birk's fantastic translation ( here previously refered to as i think the "gay inner city version") which would make for a fantastic game (mmorpg, anyone?) but is already a nice animated film.....
  • Ohhh man, is this some kind of gambling from the top management of Universal?
  • seanovan
    Hollywood has gone full retard.
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