David Hayter, writer of the first two X-Men films of the early noughties, will reportedly helm a brand new series from Radar Pictures based on American McGee's Alice video game. The EA-published game was initially released in December 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was critically acclaimed by fans and critics alike, specifically for the game's impressive use of visuals and artistic design choices. After the success of the original video game, a sequel was released eleven years later, in June of 2011, titled Alice: Madness Returns.
The video game follows Alice Liddell, who struggles with PTSD and is left traumatized by witnessing her family being burned alive in her childhood home. Alice enters a twisted version of her once idyllic Wonderland seemingly destroyed by the demented Queen of Hearts. Throughout the story, Alice is guided through the environment by the Cheshire Cat and is forced to fight against the warped versions of Wonderland's natives, including The Mad Hatter, The Dutchess, and The Tweedles. Overall, Wonderland's twisted appearance reflects Alice's fractured psyche, requiring her to overcome her past struggles with the loss of her family to restore the dream environment to its prime.
In a report from THR, Hayter was revealed to have been attached to a television adaptation of McGee's rework of the classic tale, explaining the similarly to the video game, the series will pick up after Alice's initial return from the Looking Glass after her family has passed away in a fire. Furthermore, Hayter himself offered a statement, expressing his love for McGee's franchise built on the classic story and his excitement to bring this story to the small screen. American McGree himself also shared his thoughts on the adaptation, sharing equal respect for Hayter's previous work and knowing fans will be happy with this small screen foray into Wonderland. See Hayter's comments below:
American McGee’s Alice and Alice: Madness Returns game series is a groundbreaking reimagining of the classic tale. It takes you into the heart of a corrupted Wonderland and throws light into shadowy corners the world has never seen. I am beyond excited to bring this world of madness and wonder to a global audience
While this is the first successful screen adaptation of McGee's Alice franchise, many past attempts at creating a film were developed after Miramax had purchased the rights, particularly close to the game's release window due to the excitement surrounding it. Some of these projects included big Hollywood names such as Wes Craven, John August, and Marcus Nispel, who were all on board to direct at some point. Furthermore, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Milla Jovovich, and Christina Ricci were all candidates for the leading role of Alice. However, none of these projects fully came to fruition, and American McGee repurchased the rights in June 2013.
With this exciting news of an Alice project finally moving forward on the small screen, fans of the video game franchise can rejoice with this truly artistic and twisted continuation of Alice Liddel's Wonderland adventures being told in a cinematic sense. Furthermore, this opens a door for a new variety of storytelling within the Alice universe and potential future games. While a network or streaming service has not claimed the series, American McGee's Alice show can be expected within the near future.
Source: THR