Co-op And Multiplayer
Speaking of Marvel Studios, Sony has tapped the company’s former CEO Avi Arad (the man responsible for the resurrection of the comic book movie with the likes of the X-Men series and Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking Spider-Man trilogy) to produce two of its video game tentpoles: Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid.
Although seasoned players such as Arad and Bay can be trusted to ensure deadlines and budgets are met, they lack a critical factor. To put it bluntly, they don’t curry favour with the film critic fraternity. A respected filmmaker could bestow the projects with the type of credibility the sub-genre has crucially lacked (and create the type of word-of-mouth marketing that is currently essential).
Luckily, Hollywood has recruited a large roster of talent that runs the gamut from Oscar-winning actors to indie auteurs. For evidence look no further than Assassin’s Creed, an adaptation that could be fronted by not one but two Oscar-winning stars – in the shape of Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender – by the time of its release (Fassbender’s lead turn in Steve Jobs has made him the frontrunner for Best Actor at next year’s Academy Awards). Additionally, the film is directed by Justin Kurzel, who is currently doing the festival rounds for his latest critically-lauded outing, Macbeth, which – due to some strange cosmic coincidence – stars the same leading duo.
Elsewhere, Universal’s big-budget Warcraft adaptation is being helmed by Duncan Jones, whose previous efforts, Moon and Source Code, were universally acclaimed. Sony’s long gestating attempt to bring Uncharted to the screen has seen Oscar-winning writer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) revise the screenplay. And both Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) and Tom Hardy are currently attached to Splinter Cell. These are not filmmakers to be baulked at.
Published: Sep 24, 2015 10:28 pm