Movie adaptations of Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid are still in the early stages of production, Hollywood film producer Avi Arad has revealed.
The comments come during an interview with Kotaku, where Arad expressed his belief that Metal Gear, along with Uncharted’s big-screen debut, will put an end to the deluge of poorly-received game adaptations.
The Marvel series producer said, “Converting games to film hasn’t been done yet successfully,” adding, “Resident Evil did very well – it was actually a great series.”
Resident Evil is based on Capcom’s multi-million selling survival horror franchise, and has raked in a whopping $915 million worldwide, making it the most successful game – film franchise to date. Despite this, it hasn’t gone down well with critics.
“I think that film studios are bankers and filmmakers are risk takers and somewhere in between we meet on the battlefield,” he continued. “And the moment one video game movie goes through the roof it’s the same thing that I’ve been through with comic books.”
Looking ahead, Arad has high hopes for the likes of Uncharted, which is based on Naughty Dog’s critically-acclaimed action-adventure series for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
"I think Uncharted will be very successful. It’s a father and son game," he said. "There are things about it that are interesting. I think the world of antiquities theft, there are many countries in the world that realised they’re being robbed and they’re trying to recoup these important pieces."
"Now, the script has a lot of character [and] I think that has a shot at being the first one [to succeed]."
As for Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid, Arad made it clear the films are a long way off.
"If you go to Metal Gear Solid, it’s actually full of storytelling," said Arad. "I always look at The Bible as a storyteller and operas with special attention to relationships and here, you have Cain and Abel, Ying and Yang like Double Dragon."
“It’s a big idea, that we, humans, are the least developed, the least trusted, it’s an interesting mirror image of our world, we are the aliens now,” he said of Mass Effect. “Love the project, it’s getting there, it’s been a lot of work; some movies take five, six years before they’re ready.”
What would you like to see from a Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid film? Do you feel film makers will be able to do the source material justice, or maybe you think they’re doomed from the start? Post in the comments section below with your thoughts.