Maybe Warner Bros. will set things right within the video game movie arena since the studio is seemingly prepping yet another high-profile film based upon a game. Besides the forthcoming Mortal Kombat film, which will be separate from season two of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, WB is resurrecting the Spy Hunter series in a presumably epic action movie sort of way that may or may not star an overwhelmingly dull yet attractive actor as the lead.
The news of a Spy Hunter movie isn’t exactly groundbreaking as it’s been lingering in development hell for almost decade. Originally set to be a starring vehicle for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a live-action Spy Hunter movie was part of the ill-fated transmedia experiment of Midway that eventually sunk the company financially. But now with Warner Bros. at the helm it seems like a Spy Hunter movie is back on the grid once again and it’s already being lined up as a potential studio tent pole based on the director that has been chosen.
Development in the new Spy Hunter game may be early, but Warner Bros. has enlisted the talents of Ruben Fleischer to direct and mold the Spy Hunter movie. One of Hollywood’s hot young directors, Ruben has proven his skills thanks to Zombieland, 30 Minutes Or Less, and the stylish Gangster Squad - which just so happens to be a WB flick.
Ruben’s prior experience with a stylish action movies makes him a good choice for Spy Hunter compared to John Woo, the director attached to the Dwayne Johnson version of the project. No additional creative figures were revealed to be apart of the new Spy Hunter movie, though I expect Ruben will aim for a tone similar to his other films, specifically it’s a high blend of all out action with more human elements whether it be drama or obvious humor.
A new Spy Hunter movie seems to be yet another example of how WB is focused on capitalizing on it’s games franchises such as Mortal Kombat. Far from being established amongst mainstream audiences, a new Spy Hunter movie could become a breakthrough hit since it’s basically James Bond confined to a car with lots of absurd stunts. I just hope that WB won’t be looking at the performance of the new Spy Hunter PS Vita/3DS game as an indicator of success since it barely has any hype despite coming out on October 9th.
It’ll likely be two to three years before we see a Spy Hunter movie hit theaters, if it’s still a main project for the studio, so that of course means we’ll have to wait for the movie-game tie-in. Even though it’ll likely be awhile before we learn of more figures attached to the new Spy Hunter I’ll throw this name out there for the lead: Channing Tatum. Seriously, put him in a Spy Hunter movie/video game and it’s guaranteed to bring that C-Tate cash in.
[via Vulture]
