Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I've been waiting for someone to do a real deal adaptation of a video game in order finally dispel any thought that any video game adaptation is inherently shitty. Video games are just like comic books, novels or plays. If a talented filmmaker has a passion for the adaptation he or she will make a good movie. I think we came very close with Silent Hill, but some horrible third act decisions really kept that one from being the movie that set the standard.
Neil Blomkamp's Halo could have been the first one to successfully work, but then it fell apart. Then it was Gore Verbinski's BIOSHOCK that could have been the first one. Again, real filmmaker with real passion for an incredibly cinematic story.
Now it seems to be David O. Russell's take on the popular PS3 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
This is a move that reminds me a little of hiring dramatic filmmaker Bryan Singer to direct X-Men. Russell is known for his strong character work and fantastic visual eye. Seeing him take on a modern day adventure tale makes me smile.
When you stop having the Paul WS Andersons and Uwe Bolls of the world adapting video games, oddly I think you're going to start seeing good video game movies! Shocker!
Here's the press release announcing the project to be produced by Avi Arad at Columbia Pictures!
David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter) has been set to write and direct Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an action-adventure based upon the bestselling PlayStation 3 game, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad, and Alex Gartner. The story follows the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “David is a tremendous choice to take on this film. He’s equally adept at combining all the classic elements involved in this property: great character development, strong comedy, and amazing action sequences. He has a brilliant vision for this material and we know he will bring his original, unique voice to this adaptation.” The game, developed by the acclaimed team at Naughty Dog, was one of Sony Computer Entertainment’s best-selling and most critically acclaimed games for the PS3. Named IGN’s Best Action Game and Best PS3 Game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold one million copies in the first 10 weeks of its release at the end of 2007 on its way to moving more than 2.6 (confirm) million copies and spawning a sequel. That sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was a major commercial and critical success, winning Game of the Year honors from several influential critics, being named the most critically acclaimed game of the year by Metacritic, and selling more than 3.8 million copies worldwide. Both games are among the all-time best-selling games for the platform. The project will be overseen at Columbia Pictures by Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin.
What're your thoughts? -Quint quint@aintitcool.com Follow Me On Twitter
