Film Junk » Games

Adam Sandler to Star in Candy Land Movie

Sean — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:13 +0000

As we all await the shameless Transformers clone that looks to be Peter Berg's Battleship, it appears that the pieces are already being set up for Hasbro's next board game movie. No, unfortunately it's not Ridley Scott's Monopoly that we're talking about, but rather Candy Land, based on the popular game where you embark "on a magical journey through fantastical lands made of candy, sweets, and ice cream: the Peppermint Forest, the Gum Drop Mountains, and the Lollypop Woods." Kevin Lima (Enchanted) has been attached to direct for a while now, but the project will be changing hands from Universal to Sony. More importantly, they've also secured a pretty big star in order to guarantee the movie's success: the Sandman himself, Adam Sandler. The Candy Land movie will be co-produced by his company Happy Madison Productions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hasbro is currently in negotiations to move the project from Universal to Columbia Pictures, where Adam Sandler typically hangs his hat. They had a four-year deal set up at Universal where they were planning to develop four or more movies based on board games and toys, but the only one that actually got off the ground was Battleship. Sony has already been developing a Risk movie with Hasbro, and now that they had a big hit with The Smurfs last year, they are also looking to do more family-oriented films. Sandler will star in the film and also co-write the script with his buddy Robert Smigel, which means they'll probably just be throwing out the old script that was penned by Tropic Thunder writer Etan Cohen. Although this might seem like the latest in a long line of lowest common denominator cash grabs for Sandler, the idea doesn't seem all that different from a movie he did back in 2008 called Bedtime Stories. It's definitely an opportunity for some unique and vibrant visuals, although something tells me there will be plenty of fart jokes as well. What do you think, could a Candy Land movie actually be good? Does Adam Sandler have any interesting movies left in him or has he long since stopped caring about quality?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Indie Game: The Movie Trailer

Jay C. — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:26:51 +0000

As someone who worked in the video game industry for three years or so (and is still friends with a lot of people who continue to work on games), I always thought that a documentary on the making of a video game would be pretty interesting. Having experienced it first hand, I can attest to the long hours and stress that goes into creating a product that attempts to bring art, storytelling, and technology together in a fresh and exciting way. Canadian filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot’s decided to document this process in their film Indie Game: The Movie, which looks at the journey of the indie video game developer. Here’s the synopsis:

Indie Game: The Movie is a feature documentary about video games, their creators and the craft. The film follows the dramatic journeys of video game developers as they create and release their games to the world. The film tells the emotional story of friends Edmund McMillen & Tommy Refenes, as they craft their first Xbox game: “Super Meat Boy”. It follows Phil Fish, the creator of the highly-anticipated game: “FEZ”. After 4 years of working in near solitude, Phil reveals his opus to the public for the first time. And, the film tells the surprising story of one of the highest-rated video games of all time:”Braid”. The film is about making video games, but at its core, it’s about the creative process, and exposing yourself through your work.

I’m not a huge gamer myself, but I’m often blown away by the creativity that goes into some of these smaller games in regards to design and art direction. I’m very curious to get an inside look at the creation of these smaller games and compare it to my own experience in the industry. As for the film itself, it looks to be very well shot and appropriately energetic. I know a lot of people who will be excited to check this one out, including myself. Indie Game: The Movie premieres at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and you can pre-order the DVD over at the films official website. Originally posted on The Documentary Blog

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Classic Arcade Game Rampage to Get Movie Adaptation

Sean — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:33:32 +0000

There have been some pretty strange old school video games being optioned for the big screen as of late, from Asteroids to Joust to Space Invaders to Missile Command. Clearly the majority of these projects (assuming they actually get made) would be banking on nostalgia and name recognition more than story or characters. This latest announcement actually has me a little bit intrigued, however, and I daresay it has a lot more potential than those other films. According to Heat Vision, New Line has acquired the rights to the '80s Midway game Rampage, and they plan to turn it into "a smartly-budgeted monster movie in the vein and tone of Ghostbusters and Independence Day." Call me crazy, but I might actually watch that movie. Rampage started life as an arcade game that was released in 1986, but was quickly ported to just about every home console available at the time including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Atari Lynx and Commodore 64. The object of the game was to control three monsters (a King Kong clone, a Godzilla knockoff, and a giant werewolf) as they destroy various cities. According to the storyline of the game, the monsters were created from humans who were experimented on by a company called Scumlabs. The game was also remade for last-gen consoles under the title Rampage: Total Destruction. The movie is being set up by John Rickard, who co-produced such movies as Final Destination, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Horrible Bosses. No director has been named as of yet, and he is currently meeting with various writers. Depending on the timing, this movie could end up competing with Legendary's new Godzilla reboot, which is being directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters). What do you think, would you be interested in watching a Rampage movie (one that isn't directed by Uwe Boll, that is)?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

MGM Acquires Rights to Live Action Where’s Waldo Movie

Aaron — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:34:25 +0000

In the past few years, we've seen movie studios snatch up the rights to a variety of brand name characters, games, and books in the hopes of capturing box office success. That thought process has apparently yet to change since today it was revealed that MGM has acquired the rights to the Where's Waldo? books with plans to produce a live-action "family adventure" film. Considering that we've heard news about unlikely projects such as a Stretch Armstrong movie and a Ouija Board film in the past, I'm somewhat surprised that this latest property acquisition hasn't already been brought to the big screen, given its popularity. Created in 1987 by Brit author/illustrator Martin Handford, the book series has "sold over 55 million books to date in over 30 different languages, across 38 different countries." In recent years, there have also been many popular gaming apps developed around the character. For anyone unfamiliar with the character (basically people living under rocks), the Where's Waldo? books work like a game of "I Spy" as you search for Waldo in a variety of different locations. While that may work fine for children's books, I'm not sure how well the property will translate to the big screen. I mean, taking a character who naturally blends in with a crowd and making him stand out as a movie protagonist sounds like a tough balance to pull off. In years past, both Paramount and Universal attempted to develop movies based on the character, but nothing ever came of it. I'm wondering if MGM will ultimately continue that trend or if they can think up a creative way to make Where's Waldo? work. Would you be interested in spotting Waldo in your local theater?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Jennifer Lopez to Star in Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Movie?

Sean — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:07:10 +0000

It may sound like a joke, but as it so often goes in Hollywood, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Walden Media (aka the folks behind The Chronicles of Narnia movies) are putting together a new family adventure film that revolves around a popular video game. No, we're not talking about Uncharted or anything from the current generation... we're talking about Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, the educational video game from the 1980s! You remember it, right? The one that teaches you geography while trying to catch a ring of thieves plundering the world's greatest treasures? Jennifer Lopez is on board to produce and possibly star as the title character which probably means this project is doomed before it even starts. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego has experienced a recent resurgence of sorts after a new Facebook version of the game was launched by The Learning Company and Blue Fang Games. The game also previously spawned a game show and an animated series, and apparently a feature film with Sandra Bullock was also in the works once upon a time. The logline is as follows:

"When the ACME agency's greatest detective Carmen Sandiego becomes the world's greatest thief, it’s up to her former partner to follow her clues and track her down. Their cat-and-mouse game leads the partner to confront a greater mystery: Is Carmen really a thief or a hero?"

In a way, it kind of makes sense. They're hoping to turn this into a National Treasure-type adventure movie and Jennifer Lopez needs a hit. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can see her playing the "world's greatest thief", but if they at least bring back Lynn Thigpen back as The Chief, I might be interested. Add a soundtrack by Rockapella and I'm sold! What do you think, does a Carmen Sandiego movie actually have potential or is this just another lame studio attempt to capitalize on a brand name?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Sony Wins Bidding War for Assassin’s Creed Movie

Sean — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:24:19 +0000

Looks like another blockbuster video game franchise is heading to the big screen... don't act so surprised! Sony Pictures has reportedly won a major bidding war to adapt Ubisoft's popular Assassin's Creed series into a movie, adding it to their slate of upcoming video game flicks that includes both Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and inFamous. The game is described as a "historical actioner" although it also has sci-fi elements since the main protagonist Desmond Miles is forced to live through his ancestral history using a virtual reality simulator known as the Animus. The first game is set in Jerusalem during the Middle Ages, while the next two moved to Italy during the Renaissance. The fourth game in the series, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, hits stores on November 15th. This announcement is a little bit unexpected in a way because Ubisoft just recently launched Ubisoft Motion Pictures, a division dedicated to turning their various properties into movies and TV shows. It would appear that they are wisely trying to partner up with bigger entertainment companies while also maintaining creative control. Ubisoft previously produced three live action short films based on the game called Assassin's Creed: Lineage that were released on YouTube. I am curious to see if they maintain the sci-fi thread used to frame the stories or if they will simply make it a straightforward historic epic in the vein of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. While it was a pretty clever idea for a video game, it might seem a bit convoluted for to moviegoers... then again, if they want to turn this into a movie franchise, I suppose it would make the most sense to keep it intact. Are you excited about a big budget Assassin's Creed movie? Who would you like to see direct?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Kevin Tancharoen Hired to Direct Feature Length Mortal Kombat Reboot

Sean — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:49:11 +0000

Looking to land yourself that dream gig in Hollywood? These days it seems like the best way to reach that goal is to take matters into your own hands. Just direct your own short film and throw it up on YouTube, and if the view count is high enough, studios will come knocking -- regardless of whether or not the final product is actually any good. Okay, I'll admit that's a little bit of a cynical way to look at things. I was not a big fan of Kevin Tancharoen's self-funded short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, and I still haven't watched all of the web series that it spawned, Mortal Kombat: Legacy. But now he has been offered the chance to reboot the Mortal Kombat franchise for real, and that's all he really wanted. So yeah, we're getting a brand new Mortal Kombat film from the director of Fame and Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. Are you psyched or what? According to Deadline, Warner Brothers has hired Kevin Tancharoen to direct the movie from a script written by his partner Oren Uziel. Uziel wrote both Rebirth and Legacy, as well as a spec script he sold to Sony called The Kitchen Sink, which is a mashup of vampires, zombies and aliens. Ugh. The real question here is whether not the same cast will be returning for the feature film. While it would be cool to see Michael Jai White lead a studio film, something tells me that they'll need a few more big names in the mix in order to get this thing off the ground. Then again, looking at how all of the other movies based on fighting games have turned out in recent years (Tekken, The King of Fighters, DOA: Dead or Alive), maybe this one will be kept fairly low budget as well. Personally I think I'd rather see a true sequel to Mortal Kombat: Annihilation! What do you think? Is this good news, and are you excited to finally see a darker version of Mortal Kombat on the big screen

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Dead Island Movie Confirmed

Sean — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:04:43 +0000

Well I think we all saw this one coming. After releasing a promo trailer earlier this year that created all kinds of buzz online, the zombie-themed video game Dead Island hit stores a couple of weeks ago and reportedly sold more than 1 million copies in the first few days. I think it's safe to say that the marketing was a huge success even though it didn't accurately reflect the gameplay, and the game is definitely a hit despite lukewarm reviews. Now this week we have confirmation that the video game is also about to make the jump to the big screen as well. But will the movie be based on the actual game or on that initial trailer that attracted so much attention? According to Deadline, the Dead Island movie has landed at Lionsgate after a bidding war and a bit of a dispute over who originally owned the rights. The Mummy producer Sean Daniel is the man who will be overseeing the project along with Stefan Sonnenfeld, a post-production guy who has worked on such films as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Sucker Punch and Cloverfield. Lionsgate exec Joe Drake had this to say:

"Like the hundreds of journalists and millions of fans who were so passionate and vocal about the Dead Island trailer, we too were awestruck... This is exactly the type of property we’re looking to adapt at Lionsgate: it’s sophisticated, edgy, and a true elevation of a genre that we know and love. It also has built in brand recognition around the world, and franchise potential."

So yeah, it sounds like they were buying the rights to a trailer more than the game. For better or worse, we may finally get to see the full story of that family on vacation trying to protect their little girl from zombies. Back in February, when the rights were first being shopped around, it was also said that the movie would "follow a Memento-like storyline", whatever that means. So what do you think, could Dead Island make for a decent horror movie or will this be just another terrible video game adaptation?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Ridley Scott’s Monopoly Movie Picks Up a Pair of Writers

Sean — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:26:13 +0000

With the exception of Peter Berg's Battleship, it has been starting to look like cooler heads might prevail when it comes to the recent board game and retro toy craze in Hollywood. Most of the announced movies based on playthings have been slow to materialize, with some studios choosing to wait and see how Battleship does before they spend more money on their own board game blockbuster. Even Universal, which entered a partnership with Hasbro to produce a number of these films, has decided to drop a few of their projects (including the Ouija movie) due to budgetary concerns. But still the madness continues! According to Heat Vision, Hasbro is moving forward on their Monopoly movie without Universal, and yes Ridley Scott is still attached to direct. This week it was announced that screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski have been hired to write the script for Monopoly. Alexander and Karaszewski are both fairly accomplished scribes who won a Golden Globe for their screenplay for The People vs. Larry Flynt. Some of their other credits include Ed Wood, Man on the Moon and 1408. Once again, you have to wonder if these people actually see anything in a Monopoly movie other than dollar signs (both literally and figuratively). With Ridley Scott currently hard at work on Prometheus and recently signing on for a Blade Runner sequel, it's hard to imagine him having any passion for a project like this. Earlier this year, Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner had this to say:

"Monopoly is still happening, and we're developing a great story. It's a very fun take. Ridley Scott is still the perfect creative steward, because he creates these great, fictionalized worlds. It's going to be a very fun story to tell. It's a very human and personal story. It's not really Wall Street, not at all. It's a fictionalized story of a family, and there's a lot of intrigue in the story. Suffice it to say, it's a story about a family with a history, and we're projecting that into current times. But it's not Wall Street.' It's more about property ownership and of the play-pattern of the game."

Do you think this will actually see the light of day, and once again, is it actually possible to make a decent movie based on a board game?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Dan Trachtenberg’s Portal: No Escape: A Live-Action Portal Fan Film

Sean — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:29:14 +0000

There isn't a heck of a lot going on in the world of movie news today, but strangely enough the hot topic of discussion seems to be a Portal fan film of all things. While I normally don't give most fan films more than a cursory glance, being a big fan of the Portal video game series, my curiosity was piqued. I was even more intrigued when I found out that the guy behind this short film was Dan Trachtenberg of The Totally Rad Show. As it turns out, Portal: No Escape is a very well-made short from a technical standpoint, although that should come as no surprise since Trachtenberg is an established commercial director. That being said, I think all of the rave reviews for this fan film are yet another example of how gamers are too easily impressed by just a little bit of subtlety (see also: the Dead Island trailer). There's not really much to this short, and certainly not enough to assume it would also make a great feature film. But either way, hats off to Trachtenberg for getting this out there and getting it noticed... I wouldn't be surprised if it does lead to bigger things for him. Check out Portal: No Escape after the jump and see what you think.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson Will Return for Resident Evil: Retribution, Sienna Guillory Will Not

Sean — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:02:15 +0000

Last year Resident Evil: Afterlife made almost $300 million worldwide, which is pretty insane for the fourth installment in a movie series based on a video game franchise. That's more than twice what any of the previous RE films made, and it quickly prompted Sony to greenlight a fifth Resident Evil film. Now this week we have confirmation that it will be called Resident Evil: Retribution and director Paul W.S. Anderson will not only write it but also direct it as well. Oh, and his lovely wife Milla Jovovich will reprise her role as Alice... or a clone of Alice... or something. None of this is much of a surprise, but apparently the character Jill Valentine, who was played by Sienna Guillory in the last film and also Resident Evil: Apocalypse, is going to be recast. Tough break for her, but somehow I doubt it will have much bearing on the film. According to Bloody Disgusting, they are also looking to cast both Barry Burton, a member of S.T.A.R.S., and U.S. government agent Leon Scott Kennedy in the film. Kennedy is the star of the Resident Evil 4 video game, although as always, I seriously doubt there will be many similarities between the movie and the game. The character also appeared in Resident Evil 2, and was previously played by Brad Renfro (R.I.P.) in a Resident Evil 2 commercial directed by George A. Romero. While I can understand why they would try and add a few more recognizable characters to keep fans happy, in the end it's all kind of waste. Milla Jovovich continues to be the sole selling point of these films, and I think the RE movie franchise could probably continue on indefinitely until she decides to bow out. Resident Evil: Retribution will hit theatres on September 14th, 2012... are you interested in yet another Resident Evil flick?

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!

Drafthouse Films to Distribute Post-Apocalyptic Dance Dance Revolution Film The FP

Sean — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:52:30 +0000

I'm not sure how we missed posting about Jason and Brandon Trost's The FP earlier this year when it premiered at SXSW, but this is clearly a cult classic in the making and the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse also seem to agree. The movie is a wacky homage to post-apocalyptic and gang films from the '80s like The Warriors, but set in a future world where turf wars are settled by playing a familiar dance / rhythm game called Beat Beat Revelation. BTRO must avenge the death of his brother JTRO after their sworn enemy L Dubba E literally dance battles him to death and takes control of Frazier Park (The FP). Drafthouse Films (the distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse) announced this week that they have acquired the U.S. rights to The FP. This is only the second film that they have chosen to distribute; last year they put out Chris Morris' jihadist comedy Four Lions as well. It certainly seems like a good fit for the Drafthouse crowd, and I am looking forward to see it. Brandon Trost was also the cinematographer on Crank: High Voltage, Halloween II and the upcoming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The FP will hit select theatres in early 2012; check out the NSFW trailer after the jump.

FOR MORE DAILY MOVIE GOODNESS, VISIT FILMJUNK.COM!