A film adaptation of Capcom’s popular survival horror video game franchise Dead Rising is shambling steadily forward, with news that Legendary Pictures’ new Legendary Digital Media division has set Leprechaun: Origins director Zach Lipovsky to helm the film, which will exclusively debut on Crackle before hitting Blu-Ray, TV and VOD services.
It’s exciting to see Lipovsky score a gig like this – the only reality TV show I ever invested time in was On the Lot, a short-lived filmmaking competition on which he placed fifth. Back then, I recall Lipovsky delivering some immensely enjoyable short films (see if you can find “Danger Zone” or “Die Hardly Working” online). Since that show, he has found success in horror – prior to Leprechaun: Origins, Lipovsky directed Tasmanian Devils and co-produced Afflicted.
Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing the Dead Rising adaptation, which boasts a script by Mortal Kombat: Legacy producer Tim Carter. The video game franchise took place during a massive zombie outbreak, and it’s expected that the film will follow a similar storyline.
Here’s the game synopsis:
Dead Rising follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, a freelance photojournalist after the scoop of a lifetime. In a small suburban town that’s overrun by zombies, he escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be safe. Now it’s a standoff, with zombies unable to get Frank, but him unable to get out and escape. Fortunately, he’s got an entire mall at his disposal. Utilize everything you can find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic.
Dead Rising was a lot of fun to play, mostly because of its sandbox nature and all the possible ways to dispatch the walking dead. Whether a film version will prove as enjoyable remains to be seen – there have been many great zombie flicks over the years but very few strong video game adaptations. No actor has yet been cast as West, but that performance is likely going to make or break this project.
Tell us, are you excited for a Dead Rising movie? And who would you cast as Frank West?
