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Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Release Date: Spring, 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine), Mike Epps, Oded Fehr, Jared Harris (Dr. Ashford), Sandine Holt, Thomas Kretschmann, Matthew G. Taylor, Zack Ward
Director: Alexander Witt
Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson
Based Upon: This is the sequel to the 2002 horror film, Resident Evil, which grossed $39.7 million in the U.S. on a budget of $35 million. Both movies are based on the very popular video game series, with the first movie being a prequel of sorts to the original 'Resident Evil' game, and this movie loosely adapting the third game, 'Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.' At least three characters from the games are appearing in this movie: Jill Valentine ('Resident Evil' & 'Resident Evil 3: Nemesis'), Carlos Olivera (RE3) and Nicholai Sokolov (RE3).
The Scoop: Whether you loved or hated the first one, a Resident Evil sequel is on the way. Milla Jovovich will be reprising her role as Alice. The first film's second unit director, Alexander Witt, is at the helm. According to writer Paul W.S. Anderson, the sequel will introduce story elements that are already familiar to gamers. He says, "It will be survivors from the movie meet survivors from the video game." So, look for Jill Valentine. Production on Resident Evil 2 is expected to in August.
Premise: Picking up where the end of the first movie left off, an elite military agent, Alice (Jovovich), finds herself stranded in the ruins of Raccoon City folowing a virus outbreak which has turned the city's inhabitants into bloodthirsty zombies. Searching for a way to contain the virus, Alice also teams up with other survivors, who include Jill Valentine (the key heroine from the games) (Guillory), who finds herself being hunted down by a massive monster called Nemesis (Mabius) with ties to Alice, and the tendency to moan 'Starrrrssss' a lot. (Oded Fehr plays the head of Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Force; Jared Harris plays Dr. Ashford, the wheelchair-bound scientist who developed the "super soldier" formula that caused this whole problem.)
Alone in the Dark
Release Date: Fall, 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: Christian Slater (Edward Carnby), Tara Reid (Aline Cedrac), Stephen Dorff, John "The Arrow" Fallon (Agent Yoneck), John C. McGinley; other cast not announced yet.
Director: Uwe Boll
Writer: Elan Mastai, Michael Roesch & Peter Scheerer
Based Upon: (6/21/03) This movie is based upon the survival horror video game series, 'Alone in the Dark,' published by Infogrames and Atari. Producer Uwe Boll hopes to make this the first of a series of films based on the different entries in the video game series. This movie appears to be most closely based upon the 4th game in the series, 'Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare.' (7/29/03) This movie is indeed loosely based upon 'The New Nightmare' and the theatrical release is expected to be timed to coincide with the release of the next game in the franchise.
The Scoop: The film's story (beware of pun) fleshes out the events of the latest game in the series, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. It follows a pair of supernatural investigators who are stranded on an island haunted by ghoulish creatures that live in the shadows. Dimension Films hopes to turn the property into a film franchise.
Premise: Edward Carnby (Slater), detective of the paranormal, unexplained and supernatural, investigates a mystery (the recent death of a friend) with clues leading to "Shadow Island" that brings him face to face with bizarre horrors that prove both psychologically disturbing and lethal, as he discovers that evil demons worshiped by an ancient culture called the Abskani are planning on coming back to life in the 21st century to once again take over the world... and only he and a young genius anthropologist with an incredible memory (and his ex-girlfriend), Aline Cedrac (Reid), stand in their way, at a gateway to hell. Standing in Carnby's way, however, is the impact that a brief encounter with an evil spirit called the Queen had upon his mind, as he slowly finds himself overpowered by the forces of darkness as they eat away at his very sanity...
Dead or Alive
Release Date: TBA 2005/2006
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: Corey Yuen
Writer: J.F. Lawton
Based Upon: The popular series of fighting video games published by Tecmo. There is also a TV series adaptation in the works.
The Scoop: Impact Pictures is bringing the DOA franchise to the big screen. The flick has a budget of $30 million and is expected to be rated PG-13. The story follows four voluptuous girls who are invited by to participate in the "Dead or Alive" world fighting tournament on an exotic island. And, yes, there will be beach volleyball scenes (a la DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball). The film's release date is expected to coincide with the release of Dead or Alive 4 in Fall 2004.
Premise: Not much is known yet about this film's premise, except that it will be about the world's greatest fighters who must face off in order to save the world (no, I've never understood how that would save the world, either), and will focus on four or five of the game franchise's many characters (Jann Lee will be one of them), with others taking supporting roles. Following the reputation of the video games, we can expect there to be many female fighters, most of whom have, um, how do I say this.... very large breasts.
Dragon's Lair
Release Date: TBA 2004 (tentative/estimated)
Type of Animation: Traditional animation against some CGI backgrounds
Cast: (voices) None announced yet.
Based Upon: The video game series that began in 1983 with a laserdisc game (the first), which was followed by a TV series from 1984-1985, and sequels in 1986 and 1991. The storyboards of this film are currently (2000) being published in comic book form in the animation magazine, Don Bluth's Toon Talk. There will be a new 3D game in July, 2002 from Capcom, on all game platforms (PC, XBox, Game Cube, and PlayStation 2). This film's script is based upon a story idea by John Hoffman and John Lakey.
Premise: (12/17/00) The details of this film's story aren't yet known. The video games follow the adventure of Dirk the Daring, a knight in shining armor, as he fights evil and saves his one true love, the lady Daphne. (2/3/02) From The Hollywood Reporter comes the news that this film will be a prequel, following Dirk from his birth through his early adventures. The characters will include Mordroc the Wizard, Daphne, and a new dragon.
Deus Ex
Release Date: TBA 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: Greg Pruss
The Scoop: This flick is being produced by Laura Ziskin for Columbia Pictures. Greg Pruss is writing the screenplay. He told IGN that the character of JC Denton will be "a little bit filthier than he was in the game." He says the script is shaping up to be darker than the original game. Could be cool!
Premise: Assuming the plot of the film will reflect the video game, Deus Ex will be set in 2052, with the world reeling from the effects of disease, economic collapse, and global terrorism. J.C. Denton, a tech-enhanced counterterrorist, is the government's most potent weapon against evildoers.
Doom
Release Date: TBA 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: The first-person shooter that started it all could be coming to the big screen. Warner Bros. currently holds the rights to the Doom motion picture, tentatively based on the forthcoming Doom III game. The studio has until January 2004 to start production on the project or the rights revert back to the game's developer. No writer or director have been attached. Warners has hinted that they intend the tone down the notorious violence and gore of the game and make a PG-13 flick, a move that isn't likely to please hardcore gamers.
Premise: The film rights to the popular video game Doom have been picked up by Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter. The big-screen version of the action game will be based on the forthcoming third installment of the series and will be set in the future. A science experiment on Mars goes awry and opens up a portal to hell, allowing evil minions to escape and wreak havoc everywhere. The original game was controversial due to its violent content, but Warner Bros. is targeting Doom as a PG-13 film.
Fatal Frame
Release Date: TBA 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: Robert Fyvolent, Mark R. Brinker
The Scoop: DreamWorks has hired a pair of scribes to adapt Tecmo's survival-horror game for the big screen. John Rogers, screenwriter of The Core, is producing Fatal Frame. The film follows Miku, a girl searching for her brother, a reporter who goes missing while working on a story about a haunted mansion where three grisly murders took place. Miku is armed only with a Polaroid camera. To stop the evil spirits she must photograph them, exposing them to a bright flash of light and capturing them inside the camera.
Premise: DreamWorks will release a big-screen version of the hugely popular PlayStation 2 game to theaters. In the game, a sort of survival-horror epic, Miku uses her "sixth sense" and an antique camera to navigate a realm littered with supernatural ghoulies to find her missing brother.
The Getaway
Release Date: TBA 2004
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: No writer or director are attached but Sony's Screen Gems has acquired the rights to this popular PS2 game. The film could get underway early next year with a release set to coincide with a video game sequel. Both are expected to drop in 2004. The story centers on Mark Hammond and Frank Carter, two men on opposite sides of the law who are both out to bring down London's legendary crime boss Charlie Jolson. There's no word on whether or not any talent from the movie-style game will be involved in the feature film.
Premise: Sony's Screen Gems is producing this adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game The Getaway, about Mark Hammond, an ex-gangster framed for the murder of his wife. He's forced into a series of suicidal jobs in order to get his kidnapped son back. This film will likely launch in conjunction with a new version of the game.
Spy-Hunter
Release Date: Summer, 2005
Status: In Development
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Alec Sects); other cast not announced yet.
Director: None
Writer: Michael Brandt and Derek Haas
Based Upon: The video game franchise that started with the hit arcade game "Spy Hunter" in 1983, which has had various incarnations in the 20 years since, including versions for the Nintendo NES and (today), Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Play Station 2 and XBox. (10/23/03) According to ComingSoon.net, the 'Spy-Hunter 3' videogame will be released in the summer of 2005 in conjunction with this movie's release. The game is expected to be an extension of the movie rather than an adaptation (similar to what was done with 'Enter the Matrix'), with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson participating in the production of the game, which will feature the lead character leaving his vehicles and having adventures on foot for the first time in the franchise's history.
The Scoop: This project was announced last Summer, when an agreement was reached with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to star. Our sources say that The Rock is stoked about bringing this game to the big screen. Here's what the film's producers have to say: "The plan with Spy-Hunter is to create the watershed mark in spy/adventure movies in terms of action, special effects and story. The vehicular battles in this film showcasing what we feel will soon become the most famous car in movies (the G-6155 Interceptor) will be unlike any that has been done before. They will be the land and sea-based equivalent of the Star Wars space battles. However, our primary goal is to have the hardware and the battles support a great story with great characters. At the core of Spy-Hunter will be a sweeping romance. The Rock is one of the most charismatic actors on Earth and Spy-Hunter will greatly benefit from his very human presence at the core of this mammoth adventure. All we can say is that the fans of the Spy-Hunter game franchise will not be disappointed and for those who haven't played the game, prepare to be hunted at a theatre near you!"
Premise: Former F-15 pilot Alec Sects (The Rock) is recruited to become a member of a government agency called International Espionage Services (IES), specifically joining an elite group called the Spy Hunters. Piloting an experimental battle-car, the G-6155 Interceptor, with all varieties of weapons and gimmicks (including the ability to transform into a speed boat or a super-fast motorcycle), Sects and his fellow Spy Hunters are given the assignment of defeating Daemon Curry, the evil president of a cartel called NOSTRA International, which has plans of world domination. Of course, the bad guys have their own souped-up weapon-packed vehicles, and they don't like being "hunted".
Pac-Man
Release Date: TBA 2004/2005
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Crystal Sky Entertainment and Japanese distributor Gaga (the two companies linked to the live-action Tekken movie) have gobbled up the movie rights to the videogame that started it all, Pac-Man. The studio plans to turn the classic arcade franchise into a "live-action fantasy adventure." Just how they'll do that is yet to be seen. No writer or director is attached to the project at this time. Crystal Sky's president Steven Paul enthused, "There is no other game title bigger than Pac-Man. From children to their parents, Pac-Man is a name everyone knows and loves."
Premise: In a most unlikely turn of events, production company and distribution outfit Crystal Sky has purchased the film rights for '80s video game Pac-Man. How exactly a screenwriter might turn a game about a yellow thing (animal? alien? robot?) that hovers through a maze eating fruit and ghosts into a coherent story is anyone's guess. There has been no mention of Ms. Pac-Man's involvement in this live-action (!) film. In any case, look for Pac-Man, Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde in theaters sometime in 2004-05. Wokka, wokka!
Soul Calibur
Release Date: TBA 2005/2006
Status: In Doubt
Cast: Sammo Hung
Director: Sammo Hung
Writer: None
The Scoop: Martial arts master/actor Sammo Hung (you've seen him in Mr. Nice Guy, and TV's Martial Law) has the movie rights to this popular fighting game from Namco. Hung says that he is in the process of setting up a deal to direct and star in the picture. This one could develop, but don't get your hopes up.
Premise: SoulCalibur, based on the video game, is the story of two warriors who must recover a sword that has fallen into the hands of an evil prince who plans to use its powers to destroy the world.
Prince of Persia
Release Date: TBA 2005/2006
The Scoop: Speaking to GameSpot at D.I.C.E., Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner confirmed that the deal has been finalized and that he will write the script. "To make a movie from the game is coming full circle. I wrote the script of the game to be a great game experience," said Mechner. "Now I leave that behind and will write a script for a great movie."
Speaking to Variety earlier, Mechner gave a hint as to what a Prince of Persia film would look like. "Rather than do a straight adaptation, we're taking some cool elements from the game and using them to craft a new story, much as Pirates of the Caribbean did with the theme park ride," said Mechner.
The Bruckheimer deal is just the latest in a flurry of game-film-rights acquisitions, and it comes just one day after Soul Calibur was optioned by American Pie producer Warren Zide
Premise: Based on the video game, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the story of a young prince who discovers an artifact in a remote mountain kingdom that has the power to unleash a sandstorm that would destroy all mankind.
Backwater
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten (concept)
The Scoop: Dimension Films is also bringing this not-yet-released videogame title to the big-screen. In Backwater, gamers will play the role of would-be victims on the run from a killer named Mr. Jangle, who lives deep in a swamp. There's no word on when the game or the film will be released.
Crazy Taxi
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: The movie rights to Crazy Taxi were originally picked up by producer-director Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon) in July 2001. However, those rights lapsed and the property was acquired by Mindfire Entertainment. Mindfire's Mark Altman says he wants to make the film a "fun, PG-rated comedy that blends the action and car crashes of The Fast and the Furious with the drama of HBO's Taxicab Confessions and the comedy of Rat Race." It certainly sounds crazy.
Driver
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson (tentative)
Writer: James Demonaco, Todd Jason Harthan, James Roday
The Scoop: The Driver movie is setup at Impact Pictures. The film might be on target for a Summer 2004 release, to coincide with the release of Driver 3. The film is being produced by Jeremy Bolt and Paul W.S. Anderson and Constantin Films' Robert Kulzer. Anderson, who wrote and directed the Resident Evil movie, may also get behind the wheel of Driver. James Demonaco (The Negotiator) has worked on the screenplay with Todd Jason Harthan and James Roday.
MechWarrior
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Filmmaker Dean Devlin is producing this flick at Electric Entertainment. Paramount Pictures is expected to distribute the pic. Devlin says, "Whether I write the script or help with the script or direct, I'm crazy about the material, and this is a real passion project for me." Devlin says to expect lots of massively cool CG mechs. Awesome!
Metroid
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: The Metroid movie is being produced by Warren Zide and Craig Perry (the producers of the American Pie and Final Destination films). No talent is attached, but there are some story details about the film... It is set in a once peaceful galaxy, which has its prosperity shattered by a startling discovery... During a routine mapping expedition, a planetary survey crew discovers a new airborne form of life the Metroid. The creature engulfs other living beings and feeds on their energy. It can also multiply quickly and proves a terrifying menace. The Galactic Federation calls on female bounty hunter Samus Aran to eradicate the deadly creatures. Samus soon discovers that a band of pirates has stolen a Metroid specimen in order to breed an unstoppable army.
John Woo options Metroid movie
Director John Woo confirms that he has optioned the movie rights to Nintendo's popular Metroid series.
According to a recent Reuters report, director John Woo has optioned the movie rights to Nintendo's popular Metroid series. Details on the movie are scarce at present, but it's believed that the storyline will focus on Samus Aran's origins as well as her subsequent battles with the Metroids and Mother Brain.
"We are very fortunate that there is such an extensive amount of material to draw upon for the film due to there being so many iterations of the game over the years," said Woo.
The movie rights for the Metroid series were originally optioned by producers Warren Zide and Craig Perry in January last year, but were allowed to expire. Woo's game studio, Tiger Hill Games, stepped in and optioned the rights from Nintendo when they became available again.
"We have to assume the mainstream audience is unfamiliar with the property," said producer Brad Foxhoven. "As for the rest of the film, we will stay true to the game and have Samus battling the Metroids and Mother Brain in a fight for control of the galaxy."
We'll bring you more information on Woo's Metroid movie plans as soon as it becomes available.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: Rich Wilkes
The Scoop: Columbia Pictures has picked up the rights to this game. The film, much like the game, will follow a highly decorated Army Ranger who is recruited into the Office of Secret Actions and tasked with escaping and then returning to Castle Wolfenstein in an attempt to thwart occult and genetic experiments being conducted there by Nazis. Rich Wilkes, the writer of Vin Diesel's xXx, is drafting the screenplay.
Tekken
Status: In Development
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Crystal Sky Entertainment and Japan's Gaga Communications announced that they would develop a Tekken movie in association with the game's developer, Namco. Crystal Sky's president and CEO Steven Paul says, "Tetsu Fujimura, CEO of Gaga, and I have wanted to make a big commercial movie together for a long time. I have had a long and wonderful relationship with (him) and Masaya Nakamura, chairman of Namco, for over 12 years now. The time was right, and Tekken was the perfect game to pursue our dreams together. The game has fun characters and is a wonderful story. Unlike some other games, this has a whole style of its own and is a really fun piece that is very commercial." We haven't heard anything on this flick since it was announced, but the gaming franchise is so huge, it could happen at any time.
Alice
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when (if) filming actually does get started.
Type of Animation: CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)
Cast: None
Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Jon and Erich Hoeber, John August (story)
Based Upon: The 2000 video game, American McGee's Alice, published by Electronic Arts, which is itself based upon the character of Alice, as published in the novels by Lewis Carroll.
The Scoop: American McGee's Alice was huge when it debuted on the PC back in 2000. Now, three years later, the title has lost its luster, but the concept is still ripe for film adaptation. Legendary horror director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) is attached to the project. The movie, just like the game, will be a gothic-horror version of Alice in Wonderland that takes place after Alice has been committed to a mental institution. This project has been quiet for a while, but we have no reason to believe that it's been called off. A screenwriting team has been hired and Milla Jovovich has been talking herself up for the lead.
Premise: Ten years later, Alice has spent years in an asylum trying to convince people that her experiences were real. She's given a second chance to return to the world of Wonderland, only to discover that it has turned... dark and twisted. The realm of the Queen of Hearts has given all of Wonderland's denizens (the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dee & Dum, etc.) a strange, sinister tinge. Can Alice survive this new madness?
Duke Nukem
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when production eventually starts up
Status: Missing-In-Action
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (in talks) (Duke Nukem); other cast not announced yet. Jon St. John, who provides Duke's voice in the video games, won't be playing him in this film.
Director: None
Writer: None
Based Upon: The popular video game series published by 3D Realms Entertainment, which has reportedly generated worldwide sales of over $1 billion. As of 6/20/01, there are nine games, and there are two more coming (Duke Nukem Forever is one).
The Scoop: This long-rumored project is well past its prime. However, Threshold Entertainment still has the movie rights to Duke Nukem. They've even got an official website for the seemingly stalled flick, but nothing has been posted on it in ages. The studio had hooked up with Dimension Films and was planning, as of late 2001, to turn the property into a PG-13 film set in outer space.
Sequel Note: Dimension is hoping that this will be the first of an eventual series of films.
Premise: As a dangerous alien ship approaches Earth, one man, Duke Nukem, is sent on a mission into deep space to board the ship and prevent the aliens from destroying the planet. With only guns, guts, and limited ammo, can Duke Nukem blast away all of the aliens and save humanity? The film's producer, Larry Kasanoff, described Duke Nukem as "An American ass-kicking James Bond who saves the world from aliens, gets the girl, and is an all-around good guy. But he's also a bikini-bar babe lovin', Jack Daniels-swiggin'...American kinda redneck guy."
Max Payne
Status: Missing-In-Action
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Collision Entertainment snatched up the rights to Max Payne in August 2001, and made a domestic distribution agreement with Dimension Films, but there hasn't been a peep out of the project since. At the time Collision's Scott Faye said, "We are excited to have the opportunity to craft the next successful video game icon into a larger-than-life film icon. We are extremely fortunate to have a great creative partnership on this project with the game's creators, 3D Realms and Remedy Entertainment. We hope this will be the first of many creative collaborations." We'll keep you posted if anything develops.
Diablo
Status: In Doubt
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Diablo movie rumors date back to 2001 when Blizzard Entertainment filed suit against New Line for planning to use the title Diablo on a forthcoming motion picture. Blizzard won the case by claiming that they intended to use the trademarked title in connection with a film, but there have been no real developments. New Line's flick was renamed A Man Apart.
Nightmare Creatures
Status: In Doubt
Cast: None
Director: Ralph Zondag (?)
Writer: Matt Cirulnick
The Scoop: This project was announced back in 2000, but it has never really gotten off the the ground. The guy who directed Disney's Dinosaur was attached, but it doesn't look like things are going to move forward. The planned story for the film centered on brilliant master surgeon Adam Crowley who is shunned by his medical contemporaries for his gruesomely unorthodox experiments. In seclusion, Crowley learns to regenerate his own failing body and creates a hellish brood of monsters who invade London. But his plan to scientifically alter the course of evolution is threatened by his most perfect creation.
Grand Theft Auto
Status: Rumor
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: There were rumors that Zide/Perry Entertainment had snatched up the rights to Rockstar Games' GTA franchise, but that is apparently not the case. According to a Rockstar Games spokesperson, the movie rights to the Grand Theft Auto series have not been sold. If GTA ever did make it to the big screen it'd need to have a solid "R" rating just to stay true to the game. The franchise isn't something that could be sanitized into PG-13 fare.
Hitman
Status: Rumored
Cast: None
Director: None
Writer: None
The Scoop: Developer Eidos Interactive has been shopping this one around to studios. The Hitman series puts the player in the shoes of Agent 47, an assassin for hire. There's no word on how the film's story might go, but the latest incarnation of the game begins with a kinder, gentler Agent 47, now living in a monastery. It seems that the hitman has had a change of heart and turned from his old ways. But, as you might expect, something goes down that causes Agent 47 to turn back to the dark side. Paramount, the studio that brought Eidos' Tomb Raider to the screen, could be looking at this one. We'll keep you posted.
From the Past
- Super Mario Bros.
- Double Dragon
- Mortal Kombat
- Mortal Kombat - Annihilation
- Street Fighter
- Wing Commander
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
- Resident Evil
- Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
- Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
- House of the Dead
Ones I Pray For
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- The Legend of Zelda
- Perfect Dark
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