Way back in March of 2007 New Line Cinema announced they would be making a feature film adaptation of the hugely popular Xbox 360 video game “Gears Of War.” Well, not much has happened since then, but we’ve now learned that Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard, raider of Kate Beckinsale’s “spectacular” tomb) has officially signed on to direct the film.
The screenplay was originally written by Stuart Beattie, but is getting a rewrite by Chris Morgan who will be developing the story along with Wiseman. The two are also collaborating on the sci-fi action thriller Shell Game at Lakeshore Entertainment and Columbia Pictures. Morgan’s credits include Universal’s upcoming Wanted and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Gears Of War centers on small team of elite soldiers known as Delta Squad who must battle underground malevolents known as “The Locust Horde” to retake the planet Sera and save its human inhabitants.
The game has sold more than 3 million copies and is Microsoft’s second best seller behind the “Halo” franchise. A sequel is due out in November.
New Line had initially aimed for a summer 2009 release for the film, but further development on the project now will likely delay that plan.
“It’s like with our games, you can have it right or have it right now,” said Epic Games topper Mark Rein. “We want to get it right. There’s no timetable for us. We just want to make as good a movie as we can, and we think (Wiseman’s) the guy who will do it.”
Again with the video game-turned-movie? That built-in audience of 3 million is really hard to resist I suspect.
Me thinks the audience will be a tad bigger than that, especially for the premise and if its done right…just dont let Uwe Bol do it, itll be good….
Sure, I'm not saying that 3 Mil is their max – that is their base to build from. That's a large “built-in” audience and all that green…man, Hollywood is just waiting to harvest it.
It seems these tend to be better than the movie-turned-videogames.
Perhaps – but I still wouldn't consider it art.
There are so many video games, comic books, TV shows, and not so old movies that are being made into movies. what's next? Home Videos?
What, like Cloverfield?
No, like Johnny thinking he can jump from the trampoline into the pool with
bad results.
I'd pay to see that.
Isn't that called Jackass: The Movie?
Oh yeah, I forgot.
Good call, Ape.
Oh. Then I wouldn't pay to see that.
You and me both brotha – I can't see paying for that.