Kurt Wimmer to Write 'Metal Gear Solid'?
Filed under: Action, Deals, Sony, RumorMonger, Scripts, Games and Game Movies, War
I want you to think all the way back to February of '07 when Sony first announced that they would be making a feature film out of the best-selling game, Metal Gear Solid. Everything seemed on track, then the writer's strike happened and it seemed Solid was going to fade away to obscurity ... or then again, maybe not. Coming Soon recently got the chance to speak with producer Michael De Luca during a press event for 21, when they scored a little tidbit about the future of the big-screen Metal Gear. According to De Luca, the project is not only back on, but they are already on the lookout for someone to write the script – namely, Kurt Wimmer.Metal Gear Solid is a stealth game released by Konami back in 1998. The story, or what little there was in the beginning, focused on a genetically enhanced soldier named Snake taking down the evil FOXHOUND. As the franchise continued, more attention was paid to the story in the game. By the third installment there was a much richer mythology surrounding political conspiracies and state of the art warfare included in the game.
When it comes to the feature film, Wimmer's involvement is far from a done deal. According to De Luca, Columbia Pictures will be meeting with Wimmer over the next few weeks to see if he is interested in taking on the script. Wimmer was the writer and director behind Equilibrium and Ultraviolet, both of which might as well have been video games, so he seems like a good fit. CS also hinted that Wimmer could be taking over directing duties for MGS as well, so stay tuned to Cinematical for any news that comes our way.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-14-2008 @ 4:15PM
Tristan said...
Uhm, I think that you're a bit confused...
The Metal Gear games have always focused on the story first, gameplay second.
I can honestly say that if it wasn't for the story I wouldn't know anything about this game.
Metal Gear Solid is the better out of the three anyway story-wise.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 4:19PM
Rufus said...
Equilibrium, brilliant movie. Ultraviolet... well, that was just pure bad. Yeah... painful, like a root-canal.
I do hope Kurt finds his original mindset.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 5:00PM
icandigthat said...
Will this movie be a shining example of the new possibilities in film making or just another in a long line of Nintendo in Hollywood flops?
Essential elements of success are;
1, total cgi + original voice cast
2, Hideo Kojima's daily involvement
3, A plot that accomodates both the people who love the games as well as those who are watching it as a standalone action movie.
Simply sticking the name Metal Gear Solid on yet another nuclear-capable terrorist-threat movie is unacceptable. However, if this does happen, PLEASE do not at any point show anyone playing the video game in the movie. It's insulting, not clever.
Reply
3-14-2008 @ 11:50PM
Nathaniel N. said...
The original Metal Gear Solid released in 1998 was actually an installment in a series of games dating back to 1987. Metal Gear Solid was the third of six and soon seven parts of games detailing the infamous Metal Gears. To say MGS had little story before or during only highlights the author's obvious oblivion to the series.
Reply
3-15-2008 @ 11:10AM
Rob D said...
I'd always hoped I'd get to write this screenplay, for over a decade. I'm a screenwriter and a die hard fan of the series, it bringing me to cinema in the first place (although its a game, the camera work and dialog are bar none the greatest in video game history.).
What I'm getting at, is why aren't people like me making these scripts; people that truly understand the game as fans. Better yet, why not the mastermind at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan himself, Hideo Kojima.
What needs to happen, is just a rewrite of the game script as a screenplay, because all the material is already there.
If Kurt Wimmer comes in and changes this flawless gem into some broken hollywood script...Well, alittle part of me is going to die, that's all.
I feel like I left out Yoji Shinkawa, who's art direction has held the Metal Gear series high above other all other games as a standard in character, level, and really any and all other aspects of design.
They take Yoji's 'Metal Gear Rex' (from the 1998 ps1 game) and try to americanize, or hollywoodize the art, and I'll be sick all over the theater.
I wish I could trust hollywood.
Reply