The video game is a poetic masterpiece but will a Shadow Of The Colossus movie adaptation ever happen? Video game movie adaptations have a long history of disappointing fans and for every enjoyable attempt like 2006's Silent Hill or Mortal Kombat, there's an array of awful films like Alone In The Dark or Max Payne starring Mark Wahlberg. Sadly, there's yet to be an adaptation that truly bridges the gap between the mediums, while non-video game fare like Edge Of Tomorrow does a stronger job capturing a gaming aesthetic while still functioning as a great movie.
Video game designer and director Fumito Ueda began his career working on cult games like D, before achieving cult status with 2001's Ico. While it didn't sell very well upon release, it received acclaim for its minimal design, fascinating world and the relationship between the two lead characters. Ueda's next game was Shadow Of The Colossus, which finds a boy named Wander stalking and slaying 16 giant beasts to restore the life of his love. Like Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus was acclaimed upon release and even received robust sales. Like its predecessor, the game is minimal on plot, with the colossi being the only enemy's players face.
Far from being a typical action-adventure game, Shadow Of The Colossus has lots of thematic depth and a moving ending. There have been rumors of a movie for over a decade, but will it actually happen?
Josh Trank Was Originally Attached To Shadow Of The Colossus
News of a potential Shadow Of The Colossus adaptation first emerged in 2009, but it wasn't until 2012 that Josh Trank signed on. The filmmaker was a big fan of both Ico and Shadow, but he dropped out in 2014 to focus on a Boba Fett solo movie; following the response to Trank's Fantastic Four, that spinoff was later canceled.
Andy Muschietti Is (Currently) Attached To Shadow Of The Colossus
Following Trank dropping out, Andy Muschietti signed up for Shadow Of The Colossus in 2014. The filmmaker would soon take a successful detour into the two-part movie adaptation of Stephen King's IT. While Shadow is said to still be on his plate, his next movie will be The Flash and he's also attached to an adaptation of cult anime Attack On Titan.
Given the director's busy slate, it wouldn't be a surprise if Muschietti drops out of Shadow Of The Colossus in the near future. If he does direct it the project likely won't come together for at least a few more years, and despite his passion for the material the movie seems to have fallen into development hell.