Dead Rising gets live-action movie

Capcom's original Dead Rising was so steeped in cinematic zombie history that the publisher was actually sued for copyright infringement by the producer behind the 1979 classic George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Now the series is coming full circle, as Capcom Japan is making a live-action film based on its undead action game.

The publisher has set up an official Web site for the project, called Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun in English. The site includes a trailer showing off production values and gore solidly in line with the zombie subgenre's historical B-movie nature.

The film will feature creative continuity from the game, as Dead Rising director Keiji Inafune is helming the live-action adaptation as well. Additionally, Inafune reteamed with Dead Rising scenario editor Makoto Ikehara to create the film's story. According to Capcom's US blog, "the movie follows brothers Shin and Jouji who must escape an area of Japan that has been quarantined following the spread of the disease that turns everyone into zombies."

Don't expect this undead uprising to hit theaters anytime soon. The film will be distributed over Xbox Live in Japan later this year, and Capcom told GameSpot there's no word on a North American release of any kind yet, be it digitally distributed or theatrically.

It promises to be a busy year for the franchise, as Capcom today also confirmed that Dead Rising 2 would arrive on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in 2010.