It’s been a very big year for video game adaptations. HBO’s The Last of Us broke records throughout its 9-episode run and strongly confirmed it will run for two more seasons to adapt the game’s sequel, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie just released and, despite its mixed reviews, it’s still an enjoyable time, meaning the video game curse may officially be broken. Even before HBO successfully adapted The Last of Us for television, many major studios announced plans to adapt some of the biggest video game franchises into films and tv shows. With HBO’s newfound success, it is almost guaranteed that those studios will pump everything into the upcoming projects to achieve similar financial and critical results.
While there are a LOT of upcoming adaptations on the horizon, there are a few that stand out as potential candidates to rival The Last of Us as one of the best video game adaptations.
Bioshock (Movie)
Often considered one of the greatest video game series of all time, the Bioshock series is a first-person shooter set in a capitalist utopia, featuring supernatural powers, an art Deco style, and enough 40s and 50s music to make your grandma feel young again.
A movie adaptation is currently in the works at Netflix, with Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) in the director’s chair. Lawrence previously spoke to Collider about the project, saying he wants to keep the adaptation as faithfully to the video games as possible.
Ghost of Tsushima (Movie)
This announcement had a lot of fans (myself included) excited. Ghost of Tsushima is a fairly recent action game set in 13th century Japan during the Mongol invasion and sees Jin Sakai, a former Samurai, slowly turn to the dishonourable tricks of his enemy to help defend his homeland.
The project will be directed by none other than Chad Stahelski, fresh off the success of John Wick: Chapter 4. The game also draws great inspiration from classic Japanese cinema, including an optional ‘Kurasawa Mode’ which alters the visuals and audio to mimic the legendary director’s films. Stahelski has previously stated he is very interested to shoot the film in a similar manner, potentially utilising a black-and-white aesthetic for the film, meaning Ghost of Tsushima has the potential to be the most visually stunning action film in recent memory.
Fallout (TV)
This project has been in the works for a while, finally finding a home at Amazon Prime Studios. The Fallout series is a much beloved RPG that blends an atompunk aesthetic, grand action sequences, and self-aware humour to create an immersive and entertaining set of games.
Show Faves recently covered that the project has finished shooting, and will be heading to our homes in the near future. The show will star Walton Goggins (Invincible) in the lead role, alongside Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) and Mike Doyle (New Amsterdam). The project is yet to have an official release date, however, it is expected sometime in 2024.
Mass Effect (TV)
A series that is ripe for cinematic adaptation, the Mass Effect series is a galaxy-hopping space opera, revolving around Commander Shephard and the crew of the Normandy. Mass Effect features everything you’d want from a space opera, thrilling action, romance, tragic characters and enough alien species to rival Star Wars.
Amazon currently holds the rights to the series and reports indicate they are currently working out the logistics of getting the project together before the series officially moves into pre-production. Fingers crossed we get some official news soon as this game has the potential to make an incredible tv show.
It Takes Two (Movie)
A lesser-known game than the others on this list, It Takes Two is a couch co-op puzzle game that revolves around two parents who are forced to work together and overcome their differences amidst their failing marriage to return to their human bodies. The game features heartbreaking moments, the hilarious side character ‘The Book of Love’ and a storyline filled with love and compassion that helps bring players together.
The film is currently being overseen by Amazon studios (as most things currently are) with Dwayne Johnson acting as a producer on the project. The project was announced back in January 2022 and pre-production seems to be moving fairly quickly, meaning official casting and shooting could begin very shortly.
