Apocalypse Now game in the works?

Electronic Arts may have scored critical success with The Godfather in 2006, but it still drew the ire of the venerated film's director Francis Ford Coppola. Soon, the famed filmmaker may have another of his acclaimed works turned into a game. Game-industry sleuthing blog Superannuation has uncovered evidence that Los Angeles, California-based Killspace Entertainment is making a game based on Coppola's 1979 war epic Apocalypse Now.

As noted by Superannuation, Killspace has registered the domain name ApocalypseNowGame.com. The studio has also laid claim to the URL WarIsNotAGame.net.

Inspired by Joseph Conrad's bleak 19th-century novella Heart of Darkness, Coppola's Apocalypse Now is set during the Vietnam War. The plot follows US Special Ops officer Benjamin L. Willard (played by Martin Sheen), who has been sent to kill his rogue colleague Walter E. Kurtz (played by Marlon Brando). Though it achieved substantial critical acclaim upon its 1979 debut, the film was beset by filming and production issues, inspiring the critically acclaimed documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.

Though Killspace has yet to officially announce its presence on the gaming scene, LinkedIn profiles indicate that the studio formed in 2009. The studio boasts talent from a number of big-name developers, including Obsidian Entertainment, Pandemic Studios, EALA, and Red 5. The studio's LinkedIn profile also indicates that it is working on "an original IP with a major publisher and a licensed IP to be announced."

"We take the best practices from games, film, and television to create incredible narrative-driven content and killer brands," reads the company's overview. "The Bottom Line: we aim to make the most arresting content by working with top-level talent at every position and challenging assumptions." The studio's profile also indicates that its focus is on first- and third-person "action, horror, and sci-fi" games.

Requests for comment sent to the studio had not been returned as of press time.