If you’ve sat and stuffed your face through Iron Man 3 this past summer, remember getting jiggy with the X-Men, and web swinging with Spider Man on the big screen, then you are probably familiar with the work of Marvel Producer Avi Arad. Apparently Arad wasn’t just satisfied with bringing comic book characters to theaters near you, but has now set his sights on creating more blockbuster hits via video game adaptations!
Arad revealed to Kotaku that he’s ready to start the revolution, and recreate the stellar success of comic book heroes who have already transitioned to the big screen with video game characters and maybe it’s about that time! Of course, if there’s any video game character from the current gen to start the party, chances are its going to be your favorite dashing treasure hunter Nathan Drake!
He does have that whole ‘rugged good looks’ thing down to a science.
If you check out Arad’s IMDB page, both Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid are “announced” titles, but Arad admits that Uncharted has already had some developments. Granted as far as movie pitches go I’ve heard a lot worse and, considering Nathan Drake is pretty much Lara Croft with a penis, I can definitely see it translating well to the silver screen.
So can Arad apparently, who stated,
“I think Uncharted will be very successful. It’s a father and son game. There are things about it that are interesting. I think the world of antiquities theft, there are many countries in the world that realised they’re being robbed and they’re trying to recoup these important pieces. Now, the script has a lot of character [and] I think that has a shot at being the first one [to succeed].”
So I Think My Body Is Ready…
Of course Arad knows that it takes more than stellar game reviews and successful game franchises to carry the weight of the movie, but also has his eye out for games with a great story, and apparently he’s a Metal Gear Solid Fan! He compared MGS to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, and is a fan of its storytelling prowess.
Arad even admitted that he would be having a chat with the amazing Kojima soon, head game developer of MGS. Unfortunately, don’t get too hyped just yet as MGS: The Movie is in its early stages and it will probably be another two or three years before we see hide or tail of it.
If you were also about to lose your shit over a potential Mass Effect movie, you might want to slow your roll, as Arad says that one could take even longer! It will be a potential 5 or 6 more years before you will even get the chance to see Commander Sheppard on the big screen, but of course I’ll be the first one to admit the idea has merit – but old boy is playing with hot fire on that one. As invested and insane some people were with the Mass Effect series, it would be interesting to think of the direction the movie would go in considering…er…the end.
Somehow…I am afraid. Very afraid. Of the fans, not the idea.
Surprisingly Okay With All Of this…
Granted, as far as video game movie adaptions go, we’ve had a few duds…all of which shall not be named lest we all be forced to relive the horror. According to Arad the reason we haven’t seen more video game movie adaptations is because most major studios in general are pretty apprehensive about wasting big budgets on failures. And considering what they’re working with, they’re probably going to need all the money they can get. But considering we’re in the golden age of hero movies, who knows? If the time is ever going to come, it might as well be now!
You guys think the world is ready for another set of video games based movies?
