With news today that The Hunger Games studio Lionsgate is set to make a Borderlands movie, we look at five upcoming video game films which could buck the trend of mediocre adaptations and produce something actually worth the price of a cinema ticket.
Ratchet and Clank
This animated feature, due out next year, includes some top class talent, with Rosario Dawson, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, and Sylvester Stallone all lending their acting talents to the film. James A. Taylor, David Kaye, and Jim Ward – who play Ratchet, Clank, and Captain Qwark respectively – are also returning to voice their characters so, at the very least, it should sound spot-on.
The movie's story is reportedly based on the original game, which sees the dynamic duo take on Chairman Drek and if they can get the humour right, this could well do wonders.
Warcraft
Blizzard's seminal MMO isn't as popular as it used to be, but Duncan Jone's (Moon) movie may just lure some back or encourage a few people to try it out for the very first time. With Comic-Con footage being particularly impressive and some kickass posters, things look good for the adaptation at this point, though it's still early days of course.
The cast includes Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), and Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and we'll get to see how the epic fantasy transfers to the silver screen next year.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
The sixth (yes, sixth) Resident Evil movie will, as its title suggests, be the concluding part of the franchise, at least insofar as its outings in movie form are concerned. This may well be the best thing to be said for The Final Chapter, though of course, these things are rarely set in stone (I'm looking at you, X-men: The Last Stand). Ali Larter is back as Claire Redfield, Milla Jovovich returns as lead protagonist Alice in addition to Wentworth Miller as Chris Redfield.
Also back is Paul W.S. Anderson as director, The Final Chapter will be his fourth in the series at the helm.
Uncharted
The Uncharted movie has been in what's politely called development hell for sometime now, but Sony has recently announced that the big screen adaptation of Nathan Drake's adventures will arrive in theatres on June 30th, 2017. Of course, there's every possibility that this will change and it's a long way off the original plans announced way back in 2009.
Numerous writers, producers, and directors have been attached to the project before dropping out, with David O. Russell, Neil Burger, and Seth Gordon all said to be behind the helm at some point. Still, Naughty Dog's scripts are better than those for most games, so converting it to a movie should be relatively smooth and Chris Pratt could make a convincing Drake, if indeed he does take the job and gives us a performance more like Guardians of the Galaxy's Star Lord than Jurassic World's Owen.
Assassin's Creed
Yesterday we got our first look at Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch. We know the movie is an original story which is set in 15th century Spain during the Inquisition, though there will be a modern day segment, with nefarious Abstergo Industries somehow being involved.
Aside from Fassbender, Marion Cotillard (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), Ariane Labed (Before Midnight, Alps), and Michael K. Williams (12 Years a Slave, The Wire) have all been cast. That's an impressive lineup, though much will of course depend on the script they're given and how director Justin Kurzel puts it all together.
