Hitman film producer picks up Just Cause rights - Report

Hollywood typically picks the gaming industry's premier, name-brand properties to migrate to celluloid, but that isn't always the case. Following on from speculation that Steven Spielberg has been attached to executive produce a movie based on Bungie's Halo franchise, Variety reports that Avalanche Software's Just Cause may also be getting the big-screen treatment.

According to the film-industry trade, Adrian Askarieh has picked up the rights to make a film based on Avalanche's original property, which Eidos Interactive published in 2006. The collaboration wouldn't be a first for Askarieh and Eidos. The Hollywood producer and British publisher also teamed on Fox's Hitman in 2007, and Askarieh is also involved in Lionsgate's Kane & Lynch adaptation, Variety notes.

Variety's repot is light on details, but it does note that Askarieh is attempting to secure $30 million in independent financing for the Just Cause film. "Hitman was a very successful movie for Fox, and I wanted to find a similar project in terms of its genre, international appeal, and ability to do for a price, but do it independently in order to maximize the creative and financial upside that a project like this could generate," Askarieh told Variety.

The original Just Cause received measurably positive reviews when it debuted on the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox, and PC in 2006. The game followed protagonist Rico Rodriguez, who sowed sedition on the fictitious island nation of San Esperito in a bid to overthrow a corrupt dictator. The game was primarily noted for its outlandish stunts, in which Rodriguez could hitch rides on the wings of in-flight planes, base-jump from cliffs, and parasail from moving vehicles.

Though hit hard by layoffs in late 2008, Avalanche Software remains at work on Just Cause 2, as well as The Hunter. Check out GameSpot's coverage of Just Cause 2 from the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo for more on the game.