Briefly: There’s been a killer addition to the Summer of 2015. Assassin’s Creed, based on the popular Ubisoft video game series, will hit theaters on May 22, 2015. 20th Century Fox is now on board the project which, at this point, only has Michael Fassbender attached to play Desmond Miles, the descendant of a long line of assassins who can relive the memories of his ancestors.
At this point, no other film is schedule on that date but, if Star Wars Episode VII comes out on its traditional Summer weekend, it’ll be going up against this film.
Michael Lesslie is writing the screenplay. No director is attached but with a release date two years away from next weekend, you can expect that to change soon. [Coming Soon]
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We just gave you the Rio 2 teaser, and now here’s an appropriate accompaniment. The original Rio was promoted with a movie-specific version of the massively popular mobile game Angry Birds, and the original Angry Birds concept (inasmuch as it can be called a concept, at least as far as a movie goes) is also being turned into a film.
Rovio, the company that developed the game, is making the movie in-house, but has just signed a big contract to distribute it. Sony will now put the movie in theaters on July 1, 2016. Read More »
With games like Grand Theft Auto V, the line between video game and movie get more and more blurred. Rockstar Games long ago mastered blending cinematic storytelling with an immersive, interactive experience and their latest opus looks like it enhances the company’s approach. The game is set for release on September 17. Check out three new trailers, focused on characters named Michael, Franklin and Trevor, below. Read More »
After years of development, the video game series Gears of War may finally make the leap to the big screen. The series originated by Epic Games and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 and PC, tells one part of a long conflict between humans and aliens called the Locust Horde. Set on the fictional planet Sera, the story features a conflict over energy, long family histories, and plenty of big notes of loyalty, betrayal, and plenty of military conflict.
Gears was originally in development in 2007, but never went very far, thanks to disagreements between Epic and New Line over how to bring the story to the screen. The rights went back to Epic at one point, and the company has been slowly feeling out producers as possible partners.
Now producer Scott Stuber (Ted, Identity Thief, Safe House) has won the rights, and will develop a film alongside Epic. Read More »
It’s surprising that we haven’t yet seen a Ratchet and Clank film from Sony. The game series launched in 2002 on the PlayStation 2, and has carried through two console generations and across multiple handheld systems as one of Sony’s premiere first-party franchises. Cute, furry alien hero Ratchet and his helpful, wise-cracking sidekick Clank are featured in eleven primary titles and a set of remastered HD editions of the first few games in the series.
Those two characters, who tackle interstellar adventures in colorful environments and generally without excessive violence, seem tailor-made for success in media beyond video games. Now they’re getting a movie, complete with some of the original video game voice talent. Check out a cute ‘Duck Amuck’-inspired announcement trailer below.
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When Disney bought LucasFilm, questions about what changes would be wrought at Lucas’ various divisions were easy to miss thanks to the wave of interest in the new Star Wars film quickly announced during the merger. But then the popular Clone Wars animated TV series was canceled, causing grumblings among the fanbase.
Now Disney has shuttered LucasArts as an active development studio. The game developer and publisher debuted in the early ’80s came to prominence with a slate filled with adventure games (The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango) and Star Wars titles (X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Dark Forces).
Since the early 2000s LucasArts has had more than a few problems, resulting in a big restructuring, high-level staff turnover, and lackluster games. But the company seemed to be on the verge of a resurgence with two big Star Wars titles in development: Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313. Both of those games are now canceled, though at least one could find life at other developers. Read More »
Briefly: The slowly developing new cinematic take on Tomb Raider has been given some momentum by the popularity of the latest video game release. Despite the fact that game publisher Square/Enix has called the 3.4m sales of the new Tomb Raider a disappointment, that’s a pretty good number for a late-model release in an old franchise, and the game has done well with critics and fans.
GK Films picked up the Tomb Raider film rights in 2011, and has now passed them on to MGM. The two companies will develop a new film together. That process begins now, but there are no creative attachments to announce — no screenwriter, director, or actors. Producer Graham King said in a press release, ”I am thrilled to partner with Gary and his MGM team on rebooting this successful ‘Tomb Raider’ film franchise. The enthusiasm over the recent game release is very encouraging and we can’t wait to bring it to the big screen.”
Since the game BioShock became a critical and commercial hit, there has been vague but persistent momentum on a movie adaptation. The story features a man who must find his way through the ruins of an underwater city, the inhabitants of which have been mutated through excessive genetic manipulation.
Gore Verbinski was once attached to direct, and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo later attached himself to the project. But in 2011 the Universal film was pushed to the back burner and Fresnadillo fell away.
Now Ken Levine, the game designer who spearheaded the original title, has said the movie is dead. More to the point, he killed it. Read More »
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