Game-based Movie Mania continues at pace

There has been an unprecedented cascade of movie related games news unleashed over the last few weeks. It’s now becoming quite a task to keep abreast of the latest goings on. The cinema and games industries have had an on-off relationship for a long time, but these flirtatious affairs are now starting to get a little heavy. Whilst the film industry has traditionally worn the trousers in this relationship, games-focused companies are now starting to warrant a bit more respect. Things are getting complicated.

The present situation seems slightly confused. There are plenty of publishers who love the prospect of a movie tie-in, there are people like John Woo who want to make films of games, there are studios that consult with video game designers for creative purposes and increasingly there are games that use top-notch Hollywood actors for character voice-overs. Then you have companies like Warner Bros. asking for specialist film-to-game contracts (whilst simultaneously canceling their game-to-film plans!), and you also have the whole industry gathering to hear Sony’s optimistic outlook on the way films and games should interact.

To summarise the more recent developments, here is some of the latest game to movie news:

Doom
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and John Wells, it was revealed this afternoon that Warner Bros has decided not to make this film after all. Instead, Universal Pictures will be delivering it in mid-July.

Rainbow Six
It was announced this morning that John Woo, gaming’s 'biggest fan', has snatched up the rights to yet another game franchise. This time it’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.

Spy Hunter
Last week, John Woo announced he would be making a film based on Spy Hunter, starring famous thespian wrestler The Rock.

Metroid
John Woo really liked this game. In fact, he liked it so much he bought the whole movie rights.

Death Jr.
Little is known about Death Jr. the game or the film, except that it will definitely be in cartoon/animated form. It could be a pleasant surprise, it could be a magnificent anti-climax. Nobody knows for sure.

Final Fantasy
Following the relative success of the previous CGI cinema excursion, we’re promised another one along those lines. It will also be released onto UMD for PSP playback.