Hollywood Interested in Mass Effect Movie

[Logan Westbrook]

Hollywood Interested in Mass Effect Movie

BioWare's sci-fi franchise has garnered a lot of attention from movie studios, according to Mass Effect 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-2-Xbox-360/dp/B001TORSII/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278968926&sr=1-1] project director Casey Hudson.

With themes that would translate well to the silver and definitely already cinematic in scope, a Mass Effect movie could be really, really good and this is a fact that Hollywood has not failed to pick up on. Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson, speaking to MTV [http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/21/exclusive-theres-a-tremendous-amount-of-interest-in-developing-a-mass-effect-film/], said that there was a lot of buzz around the property, but that BioWare had no interest in making quick buck with a something just thrown together.

"Obviously we have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about Mass Effect," he said."The most important thing for us is, we don't just want to see a movie get made. We want to see a great movie get made, if it's going to get done at all."

Hudson makes it clear however, that BioWare was in no rush to make a film: "We're just looking at our options there, but waiting to make sure we have something really right before we do it," he added.

With Star Trek [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_(film)#Box_office] and Avatar [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97199-Avatar-Makes-Billion-in-Record-Time] showing that there is money to be made in high-production sci-fi movies, it behooves whatever studio winds up with the Mass Effect license to actually fund the movie properly. Could we be looking at the birth of the first truly excellent game movie? Probably not, but this one sounds like a much surer thing than any of the others did.

Source: VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2010/01/23/bioware-says-theres-a-tremendous-amount-of-interest-in-a-mass-effect-film/]


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[Woodsey]

Eugh...

No.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I predict Christian Bale. I wouldn't see it, probably.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I don't know, isn't Mass Effect heavily based on Star Trek and Star Wars?

I doubt a Mass Effect movie could stand on it's own.

 

[RanD00M]

No.No,no no no no no no no no no no no.NO!

We can not let this happen.Hollywood fucks EVERYTHING! up.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

I don't trust hollywood to make a good movie out of Mass Effect.

 

[Radeonx]

It's going to come out bad.
Nothing more needs to be mentioned.

 

[TheDoctor455]

I knew this would happen eventually...
So Hollywood, here's some advice:
DO NOT GIVE THIS TO MICHAEL BAY OR DISNEY!!!!
THEY WILL COMPLETELY FUCK IT UP!!!!!
And if possible, come up with your own story rather than simply rehashing the game's story. Which while it was good (and will most likely continue to be good), it wouldn't really work in a non-interactive medium.

 

[AkJay]

Yes, because movies based on video-games are always successful and enjoyed by everyone...

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

jeesh there is alot of hate here, if they did it right i think it could be a great movie, and bioware seems to be taking there time to make sure it doesn't end up bad

jake sully for shepherd!!!

jk, although i dont know who would be a good spot to fill his shoes.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Bollywood is the only one capable of making a decent Mass Effect movie.

 

[Jaebird]

Hollywood is wasting their time. Mass Effect is already a sci-fi movie, with the boring exposition and crappy action scenes to prove it.

 

[LiquidGrape]

Am I the only one who is somewhat optimistic about the Bioshock adaptation?
Considering Gore Verbinski left the project to be replaced by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo...there might be something substantial to salvage.

 

[Buizel91]

ahh well, it could be good, no one should jump to conclusions.

although im having doubts about the HALO, Gears Of War and Prince Of Persia movies...

ahh well we'll live =P

 

[tkioz]

Depends on the director, maybe the guy who did District 9 or Sam Rami when he's done with the WoW movie, but I'm actually encouraged that they aren't just going to throw their licence at a studio for quick cash like so many others have done.

I think in a way Uwl Boll has done games a favour, less and less game companies are willing to sign over a licence for fear of what movie makers will do to a popular (and profitable) franchise, after all isn't the reason given for the canning of the MGS movie? Fear of what a cash grab horrible movie will do the reception (and thus sales) of future games in the series?

 

[Cowabungaa]

As long as they get the right director, the right casting, etc. It has potential, the story and universe do at least.

I'm just curious what kind of Shepard we'll see, a Renegade or Paragon. Knowing Hollywood, probably Paragon.

 

[AkJay]

Yes, because movies based on video-games are always successful and enjoyed by everyone...

Well, maybe more movies based on games with an actual story would have a better chance, wouldn't they?

I mean, what's our frame of reference here? Super Mario Bros, a game about a plumber jumping on top of turtles? Tomb Raider, a game about big boobed girls shooting at T-rexes? Doom, a game about absolutely nothing? I can't even count the Uwe Boll movies because, let's be frank Uwe Boll would make a crappy Shakespeare adaptation, too.

But there's no reason for Mass Effect to be adapted any differently than Ender's Game or Star Trek. The same kind of storytelling is at the core and a screenwriter should find it remarkably easier to adapt the already narrative plot of ME than, say, the disconnected assassination missions of Hitman.

I believe you are implying that Hollywood won't fuck something up, which is naive to say the least.

 

[Crunchy English]

No.
That was easy. No.
Hollywood is not talented enough. One of the things I liked about Mass Effect is that is better than anything Hollywood has ever produced.

I like movies, I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi, but movies have to make sacrifices games don't. Movies build characters and a story. Game writers build worlds, and thousands of stories. Not to mention "potential" stories that can keep a community hungry for more.

Star Trek? Avatar? Please. Star Trek was, at best, light fare. Avatar was a cliche trainwreck. Hey, maybe alien worlds, Huge Robots and blue-furry natives fighting off said robotics with natural abilities and never-say-die attitude is new to movie-goers. For gamers? Its Sonic. Piss off and leave us alone Hollywood.

EDIT -- Specifically money-hungry execs, I guess blaming actors, critics, writers (well, sometimes it IS the writers) and the boom mic guy is a bit too broad brush.