The long-dormant Brothers in Arms video game series is coming back as a television show. Originally launched in 2005, the Brothers in Arms franchise quickly distanced itself from the then-crowded field of World War II-set first person shooters by diving deep into the souls of its characters. In a genre defined by arcade action, Brothers in Arms went for a much more grounded approach defined by strong storytelling and an unflinchingly brutal depiction of war.
Not including spin-offs for mobile phones, the Brothers in Arms series has been in hibernation since 2008's Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, the third main entry in the franchise. In 2011, Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was announced, bringing a pulpy action vibe to the series. The title was compared to Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, but was derided for straying from the historical roots of the original games. Ultimately, the title was cancelled and the series has gone more than a decade without a new entry.
Now, all these years later, Brothers in Arms is returning in the form of a TV series. As reported by THR, Gearbox Software is involved with the production, with president and CEO Randy Pitchford serving as executive producer on the series, alongside showrunner Scott Rosenbaum, whose credits include Chuck and The Shield.
The show is only in the earliest stages of development, but it's promising to see the original developer of the games so closely involved with the project. There's no word on casting or even the network on which the show may debut. Still, Brothers in Arms has always been an intimate look at war and the men whose lives are turned upside down through horrific and patriotic deeds. Scott Rosenbaum's work on The Shield may serve as something of a blueprint for how the show may portray its characters and their violence-defined lives.
This isn't Gearbox's first foray into turning their video games into live-action art; they recently announced that Eli Roth was hired to direct a film based on Borderlands, the company's most popular game franchise. Set on the distant world of Pandora, Borderlands is like a Saturday morning cartoon version of Mad Max, complete with outrageous levels of violence, low-brow humor, and tons of alien creatures to shoot and befriend. Hollywood has a mixed history with adapting video games to other mediums, but hopes are high Brothers in Arms and Borderlands can both pull it off. Then again, Hollywood also has a massive graveyard of unrealized projects that were announced but never made it off the ground, so it remains to be seen whether or not these projects will ever make it to the production stage.
Source: THR