The Metal Gear Solid movie has now been in development for 15 years. Over that time, the video game franchise has come to an end, with creator Hideo Kojima leaving developer Konami to make bizarro hit Death Stranding. As such, it sounds like it’s been an uphill battle for director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to get the green light, despite his inexhaustible passion for the property.
It seems that for the moment, plans for a big screen adventure are on ice. But the dream isn’t dead. In an interview on Rogue One writer Gary Whitta’s Animal Talking show, Vogt-Roberts explained that he’s pursuing other options, revealing that he’s “trying to get an animated series going that brings back David Hayter, that brings back the original voice cast, and doing that in tandem [with the movie].”
That sounds like a way smarter way to approach the complicated Metal Gear Solid universe than a single movie, especially if they can get back the original voice cast. As much as I like Kiefer Sutherland’s performance in The Phantom Pain, David Hayter will always be the Solid Snake/Big Boss of my heart. Hayter (who’s currently a writer on new Netflix show Warrior Nun) reacted positively to the news on Twitter as well, quoting one of his famous lines from the game: “Metal Gear?! It can’t be…”
Vogt-Roberts went on to talk about his struggles in getting a Metal Gear Solid movie made, saying:
“I’ve been on that movie for six years and I’ve been fighting every single day to make sure that we translate that movie properly. This is my baby. I’ve been working on this thing for six years, trying to make it so it is the disruptive, punk-rock, true to Metal Gear, true to Kojima-san spirit version of what this is and I will continue to fight for it every day.”
He then went on to say how translating the out-there action sequences of Metal Gear Solid accurately is a difficult proposition, explaining:
“It’s a difficult thing. Getting any movie made in Hollywood is hard. Getting something like Metal Gear made where it is so complex is even harder. That’s why I’m trying to make it for a budget where you can do crazy shit, where you can do the Metal Gear version of it, where it isn’t neutered.”
Finally, he revealed a key piece of advice given to him by Hideo Kojima, who advised him that he should “betray his audience.” I think a glance over Kojima’s long library of games proves that he’s lived by that maxim for quite a while.
