I know there’s a lot of you horror gamers out there and we have some news about EA’s Dead Space getting the film treatment. Read on about a video game adaptations panel at the San Diego Comic-Con that talked about Dead Space being made into a film.
According to Variety, Electronic Arts is breathing new life into plans to adapt its sci-fi horror videogame “Dead Space” into a potential film franchise.
Justin Marks helped develop the story for the film that Neal Moritz will co-produce. The producer had been attached to “Dead Space” for more than three years, from when DJ Caruso was eyeing the project as a directing vehicle.
“Europa Report”-scribe Philip Gelatt wrote a version of the script that EA will develop with another screenwriter.
EA and DreamWorks recently wrapped production on “Need for Speed,” a racing actioner, starring Aaron Paul, that’s based on another successful game franchise for the publisher.
After seeing several of its projects languish in development with producers or studios around Hollywood, EA chose to fund development of the “Need for Speed” script, by George and John Gatins and George Nolfi, and shop it to studios itself. DreamWorks jumped at the chance to produce the film that Disney will distribute on March 14. Scott Waugh directed the film.
EA and Marks discussed development on “Dead Space” during a panel discussion on videogame adaptations at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday.
“We decided we have to pitch the projects as scripts,” O’Brien said. “EA was batting 0 for 5 before we began funding scripts. We’ve had our knocks in the studio system,” with the executive saying he’s learned from the experience in trying to get “The Sims,” “Spore,” “Mass Effect,” “Army of Two” and “Dante’s Inferno” made into movies.
The first “Dead Space” game was released in 2008, with sequels bowing in 2011 and 2013. Games follow engineer Isaac Clarke who battles reanimated human corpses on board a mining spacecraft. Property has spawned a direct-to-homevideo anime film and novels, as well as consumer products line of merchandise.
During the Comic-Con panel Marks cautioned that the adaptation shouldn’t faithfully replicate the action in the game on the bigscreen.
“You would be making ‘Event Horizon’ or ‘Alien,’” he said. “I’ve already seen that movie.” Instead, the challenge is to tell the main character’s story in a way “that’s new and intriguing.”
