It’s a sad trend in the film industry to see our beloved video game franchises become such terrible movies over and over again. This is most apparent in the fighting game genre to no surprise, since it’s almost impossible to make a worthwhile movie story believable within the style of the extreme fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Tekken and Street Fighter.

The next quality fighting game movie is on the horizon, set for release sometime this year. It’s called Tekken and is based on the successful video game franchise of the same name. Here we have several stills and some behind-the-scenes videos to give you a hint at what to expect from the movie.

Last summer, Screen Rant reported on news that a Mortal Kombat 3 movie may start production later that summer. The rumor originated from Chris Casamassa, the martial arts master who played the role of Scorpion in the first Mortal Kombat movie and in a few episodes of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, the TV series.

It seemed beyond strange that we had heard nothing about it and that if what he said was true, it would have been shooting a mere 2 months later. It likely would have been some low-budget straight-to-DVD flick. As I said then, perhaps that’s the only way to go after the terrible outing of the latest Street Fighter movie but either way, it didn’t happen.

Fast forward to the present, and three weeks ago we found out that Warner Bros. would be moving forward with a Mortal Kombat franchise reboot to be written by Oren Uziel. That’s all we knew about it until now, where we’re hearing that the project is in (slight) danger due to some legal issues.

Street Fighter: The Movie, Super Mario Brothers: The Movie, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, House Of The Dead, Postal, Resident Evil Apocalypse, Street Fighter Legend Of Chun Li and the list goes on and on. These were all extremely horrible films and, an abomination in the eyes of video gamers and movie goers alike. I have always been very optimistic about that one golden video game adaptation coming along and helping me to forget these blemishes on pop culture but this is fading fast.

I will admit that this summer’s Prince Of Persia is looking quite sweet but it just looks like Pirates of the Caribbean in Prince of Persia clothing and after the steaming pile that was World’s End this does not leave me hopeful. My dream job in the future is that of a screenwriter, so needless to say that when I hear horrible dialogue and truly terrible stories I want to throw up and scream “why!?” at the top of my lungs. So I started to wonder where could a good, if not excellent, video game adaptation could come from and it lead me to one form; the mini series.

From Screen Rant:

With one of this year’s biggest video game releases in Mass Effect 2 finally debuting today to amazing reviews and fan reception, there’s no doubt a burning interest for getting a feature film made from this property as soon as possible.

What’s the hitch? Well, video game movies suck and Hollywood tend not to respect the source material enough to bring it to the silver screen properly. We’ve seen this again and again but we know this trend is coming to an end sooner or later. As we enjoy the peak of the comic book movie era, the next genre to hit it big will be video game movies. With practically every single major video game having sold film rights to their properties, we will see every video game come to cinematic life eventually.

The good news for the fans of these games are that developers/publishers are finally taking a stand and don’t want low-quality films made of their hardwork, damaging the property’s reputation. We saw this very recently with the halt in production of the Metal Gear Solid movie, and now we’re seeing it from BioWare and their Mass Effect franchise.

After the release of the critically panned Avatar: The Game, Ubisoft has made the decision to not spend as much money on licensed products. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was quoted to say:

“Our plan is to take more care of our high end franchises, we will leave less place for licensed games. It doesn’t mean we will stop but we’re going to spend less in licenses in the future.”

This is not exactly a horrible business move on the part of Ubisoft and it’s actually one that’s exciting for gamers, who are expecting more new properties than just playable movies. In fact, it’s a very adult move on the part of Ubisoft to shift away from using movies and start focusing on creating new, strong franchises, or revamping current ones to compete in the market.

Those waiting with baited breath for Sam Raimi’s World of Warcraft movie better go ahead and exhale (otherwise you may die), because the picture is still deep in the developmental stage. IF Magazine caught up with the film’s executive producer Robert Tapert at a recent industry event, and he was quick to address the rumors that the long-awaited adaptation from Blizzard’s Warcraft universe would be coming sooner rather than later due to Raimi’s recent departure from Spider-Man 4. According to Tapert:

I don’t want to speak on Sam’s behalf, because the Spiderman thing happened so recently. I think he’s getting his feet under him and trying to decide. He might want to do a teeny, tiny small film, but I don’t know what he wants to do. I know he had a great time doing Drag Me to Hell.

I was just as excited as the next Blizzard fan to hear they were making a movie based on Warcraft lore, especially since we all know how important quality is to Blizzard (and the fact that they laughed Uwe Boll out of the room when he expressed interest in their property). Next came Raimi, and the interwebz blew up. Could this finally be the video game adaptation that moves the respect for the genre forward? I think so, but remember, folks, this is Hollywood and things can change really quickly. As for right now, keep high hopes, but don’t expect World of Warcraft: The Movie to hit theaters anytime soon.

Source: IFMag (via Destructoid)

If you haven’t heard, there’s another crappy video game movie adaptation coming, this time set to damage the Tekken franchise.

The official trailer for this film released this week and you can view it below. I’ll say this about it; Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was the absolute worst film of 2009. It even won Rotten Tomatoes’ Golden Tomato award for being the worst rated film of the year. I have a strong feeling that Tekken is on a mission to make fighting game film adaptations the winner of this award two years in a row.

Steve at Collider interviewed Mike De Luca last week and in their hour-long conversation they touched on the subject of the Metal Gear Solid movie. With the film industry making a push into video game adaptations and it possibly becoming the next comic book movie genre, it seems like a no brainer that the hot property is ripe for a film adaptation.

According to De Luca however, things are seemingly on hold for the time being as not everyone’s fully on board, mainly the video game companies. In this case, the developer is Konami and it looks like they maybe fearful of letting a Hollywood studio adapt their prized property considering the history of quality in video game movies.

Sony Computer Entertainment has bundled a Blu-Ray version of the recent film ‘This is it’ with the new 120 Gig PS3 and put it on sale in Japan. The price point is about 33 500 Yen (about $370 American) and is currently not being offered in North America.

This Blu-Ray movie package kind of exemplifies what a lot of us Game Rant writers are saying behind the scenes. The PS3 seems to be a lot more valuable as a multi-media device rather than a dedicated gaming machine. Most of us seem to like the Xbox Live system better for online gaming and interfacing however the PS3 has a lot of merit in being very multi-talented.

If you’re up on the movie scene, you’ll know Armored was recently released in theaters. You’ll also know that it will be months before the movie comes to DVD and Blu-ray. If you have a Playstation 3 however, you might have noticed that for 5 hours the movie suddenly appeared there, completely available for download – and free to boot.

Before Sony noticed their error, several people already had the movie finished and ready to watch (for free!), which I’m sure production company Screen Gems wasn’t too pleased about.

With the 2009 coming to its end, I’ve been incredibly impressed with how the games released this year presented cinematic experiences that feel so organic, and it only looks like it’s going to get better. Major blockbuster hits such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin’s Creed 2 (Guess things get better the second time around, huh?) definitely drive this point home and in a very big way. From the literal birth of an assassin in Assassin’s Creed 2 to a harrowing snowmobile chase after destroying a Russian military base in Modern Warfare 2, games are becoming more immersive and hugely cinematic in how they deliver their stories. Where the gamer is able to actually be in an interactive movie where you get to do all the cool things you’ve watched all before.

We’ve not heard too much about the anticipated live-action adaptation of the Gears of War franchise, but way back in February Screen Rant reported that Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard) would be directing the Gears of War feature film and co-writing the screenplay alongside Chris Morgan (Wanted, Fast & Furious).

Unfortunately, Wiseman also said he knows nothing about video games – A big red flag considering all video game movies tend to suck because movie studios can’t/don’t replicate the important parts of a video game.

In October, Screen Rant then found out that Billy Ray, who wrote State of Play and Breach is writing the Gears of War script for New Line and that was the last we heard… until now.

Back in June, Screen Rant reported that an adaptation of the successful and awesome Sony PS3 exclusive game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was underway and that Kyle Ward would be writing the script.

According to our friends at Latino Review, this is no longer the case and Sony isn’t interested in waiting on Ward and his other contractual commitments (Ward is currently working on the script for Kane & Lynch as well as the in-development sequel to the not-good movie, Hitman).

To replace Ward, Sony is having their hit video game franchise written into a movie adaptation by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, the partners who also worked together on the Conan reboot.

Dark Void is a yet-to-be-released sci-fi shooter coming from Capcom and it’s already getting a movie made. The game is developed by Airtight games and follows the character of William Agustus Grey as he ends up in another universe after crashing his cargo vessel in the Bermuda Triangle.

The story is about Grey and the humans he meets in this parallel world fighting against the “Watchers,” aliens who were banished to this realm only to return and use humans as slaves, acting as gods. What makes the game really unique is the combat system which takes place on the surface and in the air where you’ll be able to use cover either from the top or bottom – a vertical cover system usable with your jetpack.

The game is now getting some major attention with Reliance BIG Entertainment and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Productions company set to adapt it into a feature film with Pitt starring as the protagonist. You can check out the game trailer for an idea of what to expect.

One of the many actors on my list of favorites is Kevin McKidd, most known for his role as Lucius Vorenus in the awesome but short-lived HBO series, Rome.

What really grabbed my attention from the Scottish-born actor is that for a very long time, years ago, he was rumored to play Thor in Marvel’s first live-action adaptation for the character. While that didn’t end up happening, McKidd’s kept busy with other work including the 13-episode series, Journeyman, Grey’s Anatomy (for which he currently stars) and more recently, the voice of Captain “Soap” MacTavish in one of the most successful games ever: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The New  York Post’s Pop Wrap had a chance to speak with the actor where they discussed the in-development Rome movie as well as the possibility of McKidd playing a part in the Call of Duty movie.

I know what’s up.  You are just like me.  You are sitting there on your couch flipping channels thinking to yourself, “Man, when are we going to have a nonstop action movie based on a video game that’s so cheesy that it makes Doom look like a work of art?”

Well my friends, your prayers have been answered.  They’ve been answered… by Uwe Boll.  After delivering such gems as Bloodrayne 2 and Alone in the Dark 2 (yes, those movies exist), Uwe Boll found it necessary to destroy another of our video game treasures.  The one in the cross-hairs this go around is Far Cry.  Apparently the story from the game wasn’t good enough for him because it had plot twists and turns, so he decided to write a “dumbed-down” version of the same story for the audience.  It was either that or he couldn’t wrap his head around a photographer that turns out to be a CIA Agent.

It’s probably overdue (it was certainly expected by now), but the first of predictably veritable army of games based on the Twilight Saga has been announced.

The first Twilight videogame is part of the Scene It collection and will be released for both Wii and DS.  Respected game developer Konami will be developing the quizzical game and with the Wii being a centerpiece for casual gamers to spend their time, the presence of a Twilight Trivia Game may just attract a very decent audience for Konami.

They’re back! Series creators IO Interactive are developing Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days and it’s set for release next year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Square Enix made the announcement today and stated that it will be published by their Eidos subsidiary in 2010 and promising that they will present a great new experience “inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era.”

I’m not quite sure what it means, but I’m legitimately excited for a new Kane and Lynch. The series sparked a semi-cult following that seems to have now dried up; but there is definitely a decent amount of remaining interest: there is even a movie in the offing, with Bruce Willis playing the role of Kane.

I can think of no other video game franchise that I am bigger fan of then the Konami classic Castlevania.  So naturally you would expect that I would be delighted to hear that a live action feature film based on the vampire hunting videogame franchise is in the works… or so you would think.

The Castlevania feature film is supposed to focus on the origin of the endless battle between the Belmont clan and the dark lord Dracula. The project has been trying to get off the ground for years, with a revolving door of directors/producers and writers. As far as acting goes, the only name I’ve ever heard attached to this picture was that of Johnathan Frakes (Star Trek: TNG).  However, now there is some new information courtesy of the boys over at Bloody-Disgusting.