Even though the bulk of video game movies continue to underwhelm at the box office and with critics, Hollywood seems hellbent on adapting as many games to the big screen as possible. This effort has now extended to games that haven't even launched yet, like the upcoming BioShock-inspired survival horror game We Happy Few, which now has a film adaptation in the works from Gold Circle Entertainment.
Gold Circle Entertainment, the production company behind hit films like Pitch Perfect, is teaming with dj2 Entertainment to create the We Happy Few film adaptation. Little is known about the film so far, except that it will retain the same storyline as the game. In We Happy Few, the government forces people to take a special drug called "Joy" to make them so happy that they forget their guilty feelings over some atrocity they committed. People that refuse to take the drug are called "Downers," and are typically murdered by the drug-crazed citizens of Wellington Wells.
Those that have played We Happy Few's early access version may be happy to learn that the game's unique plot is being retained for the feature film adaptation. Even so, being faithful to the source material doesn't necessarily mean that the We Happy Few film will be a hit with moviegoers.
While it remains to be seen if the We Happy Few movie will be worth the price of admission, the company dj2 Entertainment at least seems dedicated to making video game-to-movie adaptations. Besides We Happy Few, dj2 Entertainment has a number of other video game movie projects in the works as well, including a Sleeping Dogs film and the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
Of course, those film adaptations are based on existing franchises that already have fans. We Happy Few is still in its early access period, and has yet to release to the masses. While its ties to BioShock and its high production values may give We Happy Few an advantage over most indie games, it's still relatively unknown and could very well fail to generate strong sales when it eventually launches.
The film adaptation of We Happy Few likely rides on the success of the video game. If We Happy Few is the breakout indie hit that many expect it to be, then the movie should be a sure thing. However, whether or not it will be a film worth seeing or just another disappointing video game movie is anyone's guess at this point.
We Happy Few is in development for PC and Xbox One.
Source: Variety