It’s well-documented that the history of film adaptations of video games has been, to say the least, uneven. But, with recent hits like Netflix’s Arcane and Castlevania series, as well as a promising Super Mario movie on the horizon, we may have turned a corner.
With a brighter future ahead of us, we have decided assign directors to 12 video game movies and dream tv series, which we think Hollywood would be downright reckless to let slide. Of course, most of these games would probably benefit from being left exactly like that, but let’s have some fun, okay?
Titanfall 2 by James Cameron
Let’s start big. And blockbusters don’t get much bigger than when Terminator, Aliens and Titanic director James Cameron is at the helm. Arguably the best first person shooter campaign ever created, Titanfall 2 would be an incredible sight on your hands: a time travel subplot, a man’s harrowing relationship with an artificial intelligence, a bunch of mechs… it’s got all the makings of a Cameron action movie. We’d need him to hurry up to finish his 17 Avatar movies, but I think the wait would be worth it.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, de Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hostile Earth and The Darkest Night, is the teacher of modern war cinema. If we put in her hands the already cinematographic history of Modern Warfare, from 2007, we could be facing something special. She is an expert in stories about the darker side of war, beyond the front lines, and in which governments do not necessarily take into account the interests of her people. All Ghillied Up, the shooter’s standout mission, contains all the tension characteristic of a Bigelow action sequence, and something I’d love to see on the big screen.
What Remains of Edith Finch, de Mike Flanagan
Let’s reduce the scale of global conflicts a little to family ones. What Remains of Edith Finch is the story of a seemingly cursed family told through a series of beautifully crafted vignettes. But above all, it is hopelessly sad at times. Director Mike Flanagan is mostly known for his horror movies and TV shows, and while Edith Finch isn’t really a horror game, there’s something about this adaptation that just works. Perhaps it’s the harrowing family drama at the heart of its adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, but a similarly structured limited series centered around each member of the Finch family would seem perfect to me.
Shadow of the Colossus, de David Lowery
Also grim in tone is Team Ico’s 2005 masterpiece Shadow of the Colossus, probably the first truly cinematic game I remember playing that would translate perfectly to the big screen. One person’s journey through the corridors between life and death is a theme filmmaker David Lowery is no stranger to in his previous films, such as A Ghost Story and The Green Knight. He has an eye for combining majestic spectacle with quiet moments of human emotion, two aspects that are at the core of Shadow of the Colossus. Truth is, I’ve been thinking about this combo ever since I saw Dev Patel wandering through the mist before facing off against a downright colossal giant in The Green Knight.
Silent Hill 2, de Ari Aster
Continuing with the world of A24, we’re going to give the modern king of terror a story to sink his teeth into. Hereditary and Midsommar by Ari Aster are two hair-raising stories that are sure to stick in the mind of anyone who has seen them, so why not give him a game that will do the same for anyone who has played it? Silent Hill 2 is still as scary as it ever was more than 20 years later, and Aster’s ability to take us to a very unpleasant place, weave a story about someone’s widespread grief, and leave our brains permanently scarred would work wonders.
Overwatch by the Daniels
I’m surprised there hasn’t already been an Overwatch TV series, especially given how successful something like Arcane was at adapting the world of League of Legends. Overwatch is packed with characters and I can’t think of a better combination than coming up with the two Daniels. Everything At Once Everywhere showcased his eye for inventive action and effects work that would bring Overwatch’s heroes and their many abilities to life. The film also showed a warm heart that reflects what is at the core of Overwatch and a delicate touch in navigating a dysfunctional family dynamic. There’s also the fact that I’ve seen half of the directing duo, Daniel Kwan, tweet about Overwatch on more than one occasion. Let’s do this, guys.
Deus Ex Human Revolution, de Denis Villeneuve
How organic does the human body have to be to be considered human? This is a question that not only drives the plot of Deus Ex Human Revolution, but also Denis Villeneuve’s stunning cyberpunk sequel, Blade Runner 2049. A perpetually dark world in which only the lights of megacorporation towers illuminate the sky and private companies oppress the masses, Deus Ex fundamentally shares much of its DNA with the world of Blade Runner. Take the visual palette from 2049, throw in a bunch of yellow and gold and throw some of Dune’s fight choreography into the mix and I think we’ve got a winner.
Hotline Miami, de Gareth Evans
Picture this: the best fight scenes from Killer Swoop, but with an ’80s synthpop soundtrack and lots of animal skins. You just imagined Gareth Evans’ Hotline Miami. Peppering some of Dennaton Games’ ultra-violent assassination halls with some of Evans’ Indonesian action-inspired choreography would be a prospect to savor. Additionally, he already has experience adapting video games with the crime drama Gangs of London, based on the PSP action adventure of the same name. I’m not sure if it will be live-action or animated though, in an attempt to honor Hotline Miami’s distinctive art style. But Gareth is a better filmmaker than me. He will be able to solve that part.
Dog Dog Edit, by Richard Linklater
Fun fact: Rockstar Games once produced a movie of its own. True, it was Danny Dyer’s ill-advised hooligan vehicle, Football Factory, but a movie nonetheless. That longstanding interest in film is reflected in its long list of acclaimed games, and Canis Canem Edit (Bully) is the first of three I’d like to see made. And who better to direct the project than a teacher of suburban school drama, Richard Linklater? I imagine a fun adolescent tapestry with the Bullworth Academy with the treatment of Movida del 76 with the hormones of We all want something.
Red Dead Redemption 2, de Paul Thomas Anderson
I may need a trilogy to tell the full epic of Red Dead Redemption 2, but the temptation to pair my favorite game with my favorite filmmaker was too much to resist. Paul Thomas Anderson already did a commissioned Western with 2007’s Wells of Ambition, and you can see a lot of Red Dead in it. Oil money runs through both stories, but it’s in their characters that the greatest similarities are found: Dutch Van Der Linde is the video game’s answer to Daniel Plainview, as he charismatically tricks an entire group of people into helping him amass personal wealth. There’s even a little prospector’s camp on the Red Dead map called Plainview, which bears a strong resemblance to Daniel Day-Lewis’s at the beginning of the movie, so you have to think Rockstar would be happy to give a thumbs up to it. this game.
LA Noire by Matthew Weiner
To be honest, this one writes itself. Half the Mad Men cast has already appeared in LA Noire, so let’s get the gang back together and send TV series creator Matthew Weiner back to 1940s Los Angeles. Mad Men is famous for its sense of time and place, so there’s no one I’d trust more than Weiner to relive the golden age of Hollywood while solving a different case each week. The open-world detective thriller’s world-building and storyline were stellar, but its gameplay often left a bit to be desired, so maybe TV was always meant to be its home after all. Just make sure that the actors don’t reproduce every aspect of their facial performances.
PaRappa the Rapper, de The Lonely Island
Andy Samberg spouting foul-mouthed lyrics from PaRappa the Rapper’s mouth. What else do you want from me? The Lonely Island’s Popstar is one of the most underrated comedies of the decade with its 21st century twist. Now it’s the turn of everyone’s favorite rapping dog to get the Lonely Island treatment. I don’t know what the plot of the movie will be. I just want to see the dog rapping. They could even reuse Popstar’s Karate Guy for the Chop Chop Master Onion scene. It’s just an idea. Probably a bad one.
Those are just a few of my dream video game adaptation releases. What movie or TV series would you like to see?
