With several of the biggest video game franchises seeing new releases this year, including Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Uncharted, it’s only a matter of time for they each get their chance on the silver screen. For Sony, who made headlines in 2011 for teaming with Ubisoft Motion Pictures to distribute their upcoming video game adaptations, it’s been a tough road trying to give their own PlayStation brands the Hollywood treatment.
We saw David O. Russell and Mark Wahlberg both get dropped from the Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune film due to fan outcry against their ideas for Sony’s most prized video game franchise and while director Neil Burger takes over the reins of that project, fans can add another Sony PlayStation series to the list of upcoming video game adaptations.
Today is Valentine’s Day, but it was also the release of the new Twisted Metal game, developed by Eat Sleep Play exclusively for the PlayStation 3. For anyone unfamiliar with Twisted Metal, it’s an over-the-top vehicular combat series that began back in 1995, published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
Timed so perfectly with this video game release was the news from Deadline that a film adaptation of Twisted Metal is on the way, to be written and directed by Brian Taylor, one of the co-directors of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which opens this weekend. Oddly enough, Ghost Rider is one of the closest films to what fans can expect from an adaptation of Twisted Metal so Sony Pictures signing Taylor for the film isn’t shocking.
Fans of the games can expect Sweet Tooth, Doll Face, and other familiar vehicular combatants to participate in the frenzy, as well as Calypso, the man behind the Twisted Metal competition who grants one wish to the sole survivor.
As a reminder, Taylor’s most recent written works include Crank: High Voltage, Gamer and Jonah Hex, so fans expecting an award-worthy film adaptation may have to look elsewhere. Taylor typically has partnered with Mark Neveldine on all of his projects and this will mark his first solo adventure in the director’s chair.
Twisted Metal wasn’t even going to offer a compelling story with rich character development – it’s purely about insanely outlandish characters driving wacky vehicles loaded with weapons of pure destruction. Even if early word on the new Ghost Rider isn’t positive, there’s no denying that Taylor can do action and that’s what Twisted Metal should be delivering.
The Twisted Metal film will be produced by Avi Arad of Marvel film fame and who is also behind the upcoming inFamous adaptation (also an exclusive Sony PS3 franchise) as well as other video game movies Mass Effect and Lost Planet.
Sounds like this would make a good fit for Michael Bay.
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Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes and follow @gamerant for more on the Twisted Metal.
Source: Deadline
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I’ve been thinking that they should adapt this to the silver screen. I just hope they don’t do something stupid like making Sweet Tooth heroic. We have enough goody-two-shoes heroes out there. Let’s start rooting for a badass!
I don’t like the direction, the great studios are going these days. It’s more and more about mindless action- and special-effect-fracases without story.
These movies are more like demos to show what they can do with CGI, it’s so sad.
But the saddest about it is, that they’re making loads of money with this trash, because more and more people are swallowing it.
It’s like a brain-eating virus is infecting mankind. I fear, that good movies are getting rarer and rarer in the future, because no one wants to see them anymore. There are too many people around me, at work, acquaintances, forums etc. who are telling they liked Transformers 1-3, X-O: Wolverine and similar trash and don’t liked Blade Runner, Inception, Hanna and other treasurers.
I feel so alone
You’re not alone. I’ve watched (and admittedly enjoyed) various movies that are not exactly intellectually stimulating (to put it kindly) when I needed some downtime, BUT when I actually wish to think, to imagine, to challenge myself, I go to see a GOOD film.
Of course, this is keeping in mind that a wide of movies can be thought of as good, depending on what people are looking for at any given moment…
yeah, but this seems like perfect franchise to make a mindless action film. Please note that I’ve never played the game,and I’m strictly going by the premise Deadline gave in their report.
It didn’t have to be this way: http://vimeo.com/36815292
Loved the games movie will be awesome!! Wonder who is gonna play sweet tooth always hated going up against him in games lol
Cool! I had been hoping they’d make a movie for a long time. I’m not sure how great of a story it might have (if you could even come up with one that makes any sense), but I agree with Ghost; this is the PERFECT franchise for a “mindless action film”! That’s all the games were. Violent, unrealistic fun!
If done right this could be pretty cool. The combatants have interesting back-stories, which I think will be expanded upon with the new game. I can’t help thinking though that this would be better suited for episodic segments a la Mortal Kombat Legacy. However, a feature film would benefit largely from a bigger budget. Maybe they could do both. Short, web based introductions of the characters while the feature focusing more on the actual competition. Like I said, if handled correctly and sticks to the game (Sweet Tooth does NOT drive a Camaro) it could be really SWEET. At least it would be an original adaptation rather than another remake or reboot.
Please put all of the characters in it, don’t skimp and use only Sweet Tooth, Doll Face, & Mr. Grimm -
We need Spectre, Warthog, Yellow Jacket, RoadKill, etc.
I’ve wanted a twisted metal movie ever since Twisted Metal Black came out on the PS2. I have no idea who the protagonist should be but they do have a few cops thrown into the story-line. Sweet Tooth should definitely be a primary antagonist.
This is pretty perfect. This is already going in the right direction.
As a big fan of the series.. THANK YOU! I cant wait for this!
I’m not big on computer games myself, but I really feel for the fans when studios do these films with the sheer drive of making money from the name. It seems like they give it a budget that they know they will see a return on and then make no effort to actually make the film any good. It’s as if they are saying themselves “It’s just a trashy video game movie!”.
And they seem to keep giving the people who make bad video game movies more of them to do, instead of saying…”Well, you ****ed that up! Well get someone good next time.”
They know the films won’t do great, but they’ll do well enough to make a profit, while damaging the image of the brand.
Oh god, no offense to Brian Taylor, but I think the result of this film is going to be DISASTROUS!
Rob Zombie must be in this Dragula included.
ive been waiting for a twisted metal movie 4ever… i got a PS1 in 1996 with twisted metal, been obsessed w/ that franchise…hopefully it turns out good
It’ll be interesting to see what Taylor is able to do by himself. If nothing else the movie will definitely be loud and have tons of energy. I mostly interested to see when one of these videogames movies actually breaks through though. Will Twisted Metal be the one? If so it’d be a bit ironic that a game with such a lackluster story is the one that actually crosses over. Regardless of whether this particular film is ever made or not, I do wonder if in 10 years videogames movies will replace super-hero flicks where nearly every tent-pole film is a licensed movie in this genre.
I haven’t played the game since tm2 and that was years ago so I dont even remember the characterscexcept sweet tooth and spectre
They need to focus more on the dark characters than car action. if not it will just be like the movie Death Race