Gears of War, the movie version anyway, has been in development hell for years. In 2007, Len Wiseman (the director behind the Underworld movie franchise) was attached as well as New Line Studios, but the project tanked due to creative differences.
Gears of War has had three sequels since its 2006 release and has sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 19 million units. It is the 5th bestselling Xbox 360 game of all time. With a fan base like that, it’s no surprise that studios are attempting to turn it into a tent pole summer action film.
The newest development in Epic’s attempt to film the project is the signing on of producer Scott Stuber, who would produce the film through his Bluegrass Films banner. In the past, video games as movies projects have failed because of the gaming studio wanting more creative input in the process, and Stuber appears to be avoiding this by developing the script alongside Epic. Stuber has produced several big films in the last few years, including Ted, Identity Thief, Safe House and the upcoming 47 Ronin.
Gears of War, for the uninitiated, is a sci-fi military third person shooter, focusing on the troops of the Delta Squad in their attempt to save the human occupants of the fictional planet Sera. The main character is Marcus Fenix, a soldier and ex-con. No word yet on which actor studios are hoping will take over that character.
How Epic and Stuber will adapt the game play of a cover-based grey-brown shooter into a tent-pole action film/franchise has yet to be seen.
