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Deus Ex, Mass Effect, BioShock And More: The Latest On Eight Video Game Movie Projects

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There's been quite a bit of movement lately on a number of high profile video game movie projects, both theoretical and in the "probably will come to pass" category. While Hollywood is starting to reboot superhero films that were made barely five years ago, I predict there will be a surge in video game related releases, now that games have actual stories and lots of name recognition.

Obviously video game movies have a long way to go, and few (if any) good ones have been made yet. But the field is open to a wide array of contenders, and there are a lot of promising projects in the works.

I've gone through and hunted down the latest info regarding a number of these upcoming films, both ones currently filming, and others still being written and rewritten. Not all of them may see the light of day, but I have a hunch that out of this crop, we may see the best video game movie adaptation to date. Which one that will be, I can't say for sure, but there are a lot of great games on the list.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Last Update: April 2014

This is one of the batch that's just gotten a news update. The film adaptation of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is "still alive," and currently being rewritten. It's based on the world of Human Revolution, though it won't likely be an exact retelling of the events of the game. Adam Jensen is the lead however, and the film is trying to be a cyberpunk film rather than a dreaded "video game movie." Judging by past history, that seems smart.

Will It Happen Scale: 6/10 - For as much as I'd love for this to come to pass, I'm hesitant to say it will for sure due to how early in the production process it is. Video game films much further along have fallen apart in the past, and Deus Ex could easily share that fate. But for now, watch this fan film to see how amazing it could be.

Assassin's Creed

Last Update: April 2014

Another film with recent movement is the Assassin's Creed film which has everything but a director at this point. The movie will star so-hot-right-now Michael Fassbender, and is currently being scripted by  Bill Collage and Adam Cooper who have just finished scripts for both Ridley Scott and Darren Aronofsky. Ubisoft is intimately involved in the project, and all signs point to this being one of the most solid efforts on the list.

Will It Happen Scale: 9/10 - The film seems to be coming together, and is further along than most. Still, I'm not 100% confident it won't fall apart like past high profile gaming projects (Halo/Bioshock), so I'll leave a bit of room for doubt.

Mass Effect

Last Update: March 2014

If any game ever seemed ripe to be turned into a mega sci-fi franchise, it's Mass Effect, but the film has had a lot of trouble getting off the ground. Last year Mark Protosevich wrote a script for the film, but Legendary Pictures decided not to move forward with it. The film is described as a "tough nut to crack," but they seem determined to bring it to life. Though if so, it will likely be a long, long ways off.

Will It Happen Scale: 4/10 - This one is tricky. While I do believe that Mass Effect will be made into a movie someday, I really think it's going to take a long, long time for that to happen given the enormous scope of the endeavor.

BioShock

Last Update: April 2014

This one is back in the news after Sony recently bought up domain names that suggested a BioShock movie is still under consideration. The original attempt at an adaption famously sunk with Gore Verbinksi at the helm, and there's been little talk of resurrection since. But perhaps since the success of BioShock Infinite, there's been renewed interest in the universe. Again, it would be a hugely ambitious project and one that could go terribly wrong if handled incorrectly.

Will It Happen Scale: 5/10 - I'm 50/50 on whether this will make it to the screen. This recent news is really just fluff, and BioShock has a long way to go to living once more as a possible film property. That said, if done correctly, it would be fantastic.

The Last of Us

Last Update: March 2014

This is the most recently announced high profile video game project, and one I remain somewhat skeptical of. The game aims to retell Joel and Ellie's story with help from the original creators of the game, but with the game feeling so much like a movie already, the adaptation feels a bit stranger than the rest. Again, it's early in production, and no one has been attached to star or direct.

Will It Happen Scale: 6/10 - Judging by what's happened with the theoretical Uncharted movie for the last umpteen years, I'm not sure Naughty Dog is the best at working with Hollywood to bring movie projects to life, but we'll see.

Uncharted

Last Update: February 2014

And yes, what is the status of the Uncharted film, that's supposedly been in the works for a while now? The movie originally had Oscar-caliber talent attached in the form of David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg and Scarlett Johansson, but they left and directing duties were handed to Limitless' Neil Burger. Then he left to direct Divergent, and now supposedly comedy director Seth Gordon of Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses is attached. That's the last we've heard of it, and it seems to have fallen a long way from the days where it was potentially a Russell/Wahlberg/Johansson venture.

Will It Happen Scale: 2/10 - This one really seems like it's going to be permanently stuck in development hell.  I think it would be a great action film franchise, but I'm worried about the constant loss of talent on the project, and I'd be just a touch skeptical of what Seth Gordon would have planned.  And sorry everyone, but Nathan Fillion is too old to play Nathan Drake at this point.

Warcraft

Last Update: March 2014

This is probably the highest profile project of them all, based on the world's former biggest game, and still-massive Blizzard MMO (slash former RTS). Moon/Source Code's Duncan Jones is directing, and the film is being shot as we speak. There's a lot riding on the film, but it seems to have the talent and budget to succeed, and possibly turn into a mammoth fantasy franchise. The film is reportedly due out in 2016.

Will It Happen Scale: 10/10 - The only one on the list I'm 100% will make it to theaters, and it would take some sort of act of God to kill it now. Whether or not it will be good, I'm not sure, though Duncan Jones has yet to make a bad movie. Not sure how he'll transition from lower budget sci-fi to a sprawling fantasy epic like this, however.

Splinter Cell

Last Update: March 2014

I honestly had no idea this movie existed, but it does, and apparently it has a director and star as well. Doug Liman (of Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith) is in final talks to direct Tom Hardy in the feature, and the script is being written by American Hustle's Eric Singer. That's a decent amount of talent for a film I didn't even know existed.

Will It Happen Scale: 5/10 - Coinflip on this one. Splinter Cell isn't exactly the hottest of properties at present, and I feel like this might end up being a fairly generic spy action flick, even if they have Hardy as the lead.

So, which of these do you think has the most potential? What games not listed here would you want to see adapted into a feature film?

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