From Video Games To Movies, What's On The Way

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Hollywood and the video game universe haven't had the best of relationships in the past but things have been getting better. Will the trend continue as more video games than ever are heading for the silver screen? Let's take a look at the 2016 red carpet...

Insomniac Games' Ratchet and Clank platforming duo has quite the back history and have been adventuring throughout the galaxy, and even took on the perils of messing with time itself. Now it's set to 'kick some asteroid' featuring of course the actual voice actors from the series.

Plot: "Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they'll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one's own identity."

Cast: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Jim Ward, Sylvester Stallone, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman.

Oh the horror! Now even app games are getting in on the action and movie execs are bringing us a dramatic action flick for kids about an island populated by flightless birds, and the menacing arrival of pigs. If board games can get in theatres why not birds that are angry?

Plot: "Find out why the birds are so angry. When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green piggies, it's up to three unlikely outcasts - Red, Chuck and Bomb - to figure out what the pigs are up to."

Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Peter Dinklage, Jillian Bell, Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Keegan-Michael Key, Josh Gad, Maya Rudolph, Hannibal Buress, Danny McBride.

  • Warcraft (Action, Adventure, Fantasy)
    June 3rd, 2016

The journey has been long and fraught with peril but Blizzard Entertainment finally got everything in place to take Warcraft to the big screen. It blends live action with CGI orcs and other races. The film is based upon the very early events in the now huge Warcraft universe where the orcs flee a troubled homeland to resettle, but the human Alliance kingdom isn't quite so thrilled at their arrival.

Plot: "Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization, led by the humans, faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying world of Draenor to find their place in another. As a gateway known as the Dark Portal opens to connect the two worlds, the humans face destruction while the orcs face extinction. Anduin Lothar, leader of the humans, and Durotan, leader of the orcs, are then sent on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home."

Cast: Travis Fimmel, Robert Kazinsky, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Clancy Brown, Toby Kebbell.

Ubisoft has been branching into TV and movie production with Assassin's Creed their first major push to the silver screen, and they plan on a global conspiracy delivering them box office gold. The Brotherhood of Assassins will be taking on the powerful Templar both in the past and present as the memories of an ancestor are unlocked. Ubisoft already has a mini-series of Assassin's Creed from 2009.

Plot: "Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day."

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Callum Turner, Ariane Labed.

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The shuffling masses will be back in cinema early next year as Resident Evil provides its latest and supposedly final instalment to the legacy of Alice. Despite some deriding the movie franchise it has continued to perform extremely well for the studio and so the fight against rogue AI and Umbrella Corporation's amoral business practices continues.

Plot: "Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, humanity is on its last legs after Alice is betrayed by Wesker in Washington D.C. As the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead hordes, Alice must return to where the nightmare began - Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse. In a race against time Alice will join forces with old friends, and an unlikely ally, in an action packed battle with undead hordes and new mutant monsters. Between regaining her superhuman abilities at Wesker's hand and Umbrella's impending attack, this will be Alice's most difficult adventure as she fights to save humanity, which is on the brink of oblivion."

Cast: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Ruby Rose, Iain Glen, Shawn Roberts, William Levy, Eoin Macken, Joon-Gi Lee, Rola.

Naughty Dog's mega-hit on PlayStation takes its crazy treasure-hunting adventures to the movies where the infamous location of the legendary El Dorado is said to have been discovered by Drake, a descendent of explorer Sir Francis Drake. Uncharted is credited with reviving the raider-of-ancient-treasures genre, taking on both Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones on their home turf.

Plot: "A descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake, a treasure hunter named Nathan Drake believes he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled South American golden city, from a cursed golden statue. The search becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray."

Cast: Mark Wahlberg.

If Ratchet and Clank can get in on the animation business in movies then why not another platforming animal like Sly Cooper? Created by Sucker Punch Productions, who now make the super-powered inFamous series, Sly has been absent from our consoles for a while with the last game back in 2013 from Sanzaru Games. It's being handled by the same team behind Ratchet and Clank's jump to film.

Plot: "Sly Cooper is a kinetic and comedic heist film that tells the story of Sly Cooper, an orphaned raccoon thief, along with his childhood friends and partners in crime, Bentley The Turtle and Murray The Hippo. In the film, Sly learns of his birth family’s secret legacy; that he comes from a long line of talented and international thieves. Endowed with this knowledge, Sly and his friends are catapulted into a global adventure as they race to reassemble pieces of an ancient book holding The Cooper Clan’s family secrets before it can fall into the hands of Clockwerk – an evil Russian metallic owl bent on ending the Cooper family line. From romantic Parisian backdrops to the lush mountains of China, gritty film noir meets bright, colorful graphic novels in this origin story of the world’s greatest thief-turned-hero."

Cast: Ian James Corlett, Matt Olsen, Chris Murphy.

Another Naughty Dog creation is in the clutches of Hollywood and it's the tale of Joel and Ellie as they navigate the harsh and brutal post-apocalyptic world after a major fungus-based disease has ravaged mankind and slid civilization into decay. The duo must take on survivalists, crazies and the poor hosts to the rapid fungal strain. It may prove difficult to replicate what the game achieved.

Plot: "Joel and Ellie, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across post-pandemic America."

Cast: Unknown at this time.

There's many more video games making their way to the movie studios, with projects either still in the decision-making phase or those left spinning their wheels in pre-production mud. Here's a quick run down of others to keep an eye out for:

  • Watch Dogs
  • Tomb Raider
  • Mass Effect
  • The Witcher
  • Dante's Inferno
  • Five Nights at Freddy’s
  • RollerCoaster Tycoon
  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
  • Far Cry
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
  • Kane and Lynch
  • God of War
  • Devil May Cry
  • inFamous
  • Mortal Kombat
  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Mario
  • Heavy Rain
  • The Sims
  • Missile Command
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