Dead Rising film infecting international audiences

Although it fell short of lofty box-office expectations, this summer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time showed that game-based films can be made with the same production values, star power, and marketing support as the biggest blockbusters. At the same time, Capcom's upcoming Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun shows a more low-budget guerrilla approach to adapting games on film--one with zero stars, low production values, and next to no marketing campaign.

Gamers in Europe and North America will get firsthand evidence of that later this year, as Capcom today announced that the film would be split into eight episodes and digitally distributed in the two continents this summer. Zombrex will be dubbed in English, with subtitled editions available in French, Spanish, and Italian. The publisher did not specify if the distribution will be handled through Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, or an official Web site.

The film has creative continuity with the game series, as Dead Rising director Keiji Inafune helmed the live-action adaptation as well. Additionally, Inafune reteamed with Dead Rising scenario editor Makoto Ikehara to create the film's story. Shot in Japan, the movie follows two brothers attempting to escape a quarantined area in the midst of a zombie outbreak. The film also ties in to the upcoming Dead Rising 2, the story of which features Zombrex, an anti-zombification medication.

Dead Rising 2 is set to contaminate North American Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3s, and PCs on August 31, with the infection spreading to Japan on September 2 and to Europe on September 3. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's latest preview.