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GameSpot Video Games, PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Pulp Fiction co-writer adapting Driver

Roger Avary to write and direct film version of once-hailed but now-maligned Atari franchise.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:14 pm PT

The record of game-to-film adaptations is checkered, to say the least. Besides the myriad Uwe Boll debacles--Alone in the Dark, House of the Dead, and BloodRayne--many high-quality games have been turned into bottom-scraping offerings at the box office.

The list of critically lambasted game-based movies is long: Besides the so-so Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, there is its questionable sequel and both of the Resident Evil movies--which themselves have two sequels in the works. Then there's the list of 1990s game adaptations, which include Mortal Kombat (and its sequel), Street Fighter, Double Dragon, and the infamous Super Mario Bros.

This week brought news of a different sort--that a critically pilloried game series is getting the chance to become a decent film. Hollywood trade magazine Variety is reporting that Roger Avary, the Academy Award-winning cowriter of Pulp Fiction and The Rules of Attraction, will write and direct the film adaptation of the Driver games. The franchise, published by Atari, was once one of gaming's more esteemed offerings, but has since fallen on hard times from a critical standpoint.

According to Variety, the Driver film will be distributed by Rogue Pictures, the low-budget horror and action subsidiary of Focus Features. Focus is the art-house/independent division of Universal Studios, which is the film division of media conglomerate NBC Universal. No release date or attached stars were announced.

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47 Comments

First to Last Latest
Yaxxxy

I used to play Driver 2 all the time. The story line in Driver 2 was good as (Well it seemed good at the time) but Driver 3's sucked. It sounds like Avarys had experience in game to movie adaptions so it might be alright. Can't wait for MGS.

Posted Nov 30, 2006 7:39 pm PT
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piecake

yay games!

Posted Oct 30, 2006 2:38 pm PT
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plain133200

Quentin Tarantino is writing this? Now it'll be confusing.

Posted Jul 21, 2006 5:07 pm PT
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Amir_Badshah

Oh, very cool man. An Driver MOVIE there is happening in the 70s!!!

Posted Jul 16, 2006 6:12 am PT
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sskingginyu

I hope it's about Tanner and not TK.

Posted Jun 10, 2006 6:31 pm PT
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madnesspro

Driver will be a great movie, driver is the best game i've ever played mainly for the fmv's but it's all good. I remember watching DRIV3R's fmv's 100s of times and i never got bored of it.

I'd perfer to see a movie of DRIV3R but Parallel Lines story line was very good, both story lines where tooo good.

I can't really decided, but i always like tanner and his ways. But Pl has more double crossing in it. REVENGE.... Muhahaha

But they could finish the DRIV3R story unless Reflections beats them to it.

Posted May 13, 2006 6:47 am PT
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vamroc

Wait don't we already have The Driver movie and it's called Gone in Sixty Seconds oh I know it's The Fast and the Furious

Posted Apr 22, 2006 1:07 pm PT
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buckybuckster

Gee, a Driver movie?? Now my life is complete. I may as well pull the trigger now.

Posted Apr 22, 2006 8:07 am PT
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Jahovey

If Quentin Tarantino helps write it and he directs it then the movie will be a sure thing.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 5:01 pm PT
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Neohunter123

Avary's an excellent writer (and practically wrote Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction anyway). It should make for a good crime film. This is probably the smartest videogame-movie idea since...Silent Hill. Another movie Avary wrote the script for.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:25 pm PT
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DrKill09

Just make sure that the movie know's what time period it is in, unlike Driv3r. It had all late 70's and early 80's cars, but present day things like cell phones and laptops. Infogrames have no idea how to make a good game, let's hope the movie won't suck as bad.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:10 pm PT
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i_love_my_ds

please let it be good....

Posted Apr 21, 2006 11:43 am PT
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neoand12

when can we see Half Life The Movie (it would be even better if Freemen don't talk in the Movie and just blast away at anything that move)

Posted Apr 21, 2006 11:25 am PT
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anamnawshad

Hope this'll be a good movie.......

Posted Apr 21, 2006 10:00 am PT
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Lewis-Morgan

"I wonder if he'll write the screenplay in 1337-speak. Sorry, the scr33npl4y, I mean."

That was terrible

Posted Apr 21, 2006 9:59 am PT
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Adam_B

I wonder if he'll write the screenplay in 1337-speak. Sorry, the scr33npl4y, I mean.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 9:16 am PT
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gibb1

it's smells like a big fluke....

Posted Apr 21, 2006 7:59 am PT
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gibb1

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!

Posted Apr 21, 2006 7:58 am PT
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LiquidSanek

the man who wrote pulp fiction, not just took all the credit for it.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 6:58 am PT
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ALLoY1717

I think that Driver has a good chance to become a decent movie.

Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:52 am PT
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afgad

I can think of 10 games I'd rather see on the silver screen than "Dr|v3r".
* Deus Ex (The movie was cancelled - why??)
* Interstate 76 (*Perfect* for film adaption. The game even plays like a movie, and I can't remember the last time I saw a movie with guns mounted on 70's cars.)
* Metal Gear Solid (Even though these games are already more movies than games)..

Posted Apr 21, 2006 3:11 am PT
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icepickiii

It sounds intriguing, but the franchise has gone downhill since the first. The only cool parts were the chases... id rather be drivin myself. Although the best car chase scene i have seen is from the original Gone in 60 seconds(not the one with Nick Cage). The movie isnt exactly big budget, but WOW.... when it came to the car chase.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 11:45 pm PT
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bubblerap

you will all wait forever with antisipation for this film then when it comes it will be crap!!!!!you know deep down i am right.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 11:41 pm PT
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zerogreen

...soon they're just gonna skip the adaptation part and just release the movie and game together...

Posted Apr 20, 2006 11:13 pm PT
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ElmntEarth4Life

yeah really, couldn't they have picked a game people are interested in?

Posted Apr 20, 2006 11:11 pm PT
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superbrett2000

Ugh. Video games and movies just do not mix. IMO video game/movie crossovers and in game advertising will be the downfall of gaming.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 11:03 pm PT
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neoand12

Driver will do better at the box office then selling games, Because Driv3r was more TV than gameplay: But it might bomb Really who Cares about Driver.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:03 pm PT
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_Margulis_

I hope Tanner isn't dead after all because all the characters from Driver: PL made me want to pull my hair out and burn my T.V. ( that's why i had to cheat just to make it threw the game before i lost my sanity).

Now every time i hear the F word it makes me cringe and want to hit something.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:51 pm PT
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Homsar13

this is gonna be sweeeet! this movie will rock!

Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:08 pm PT
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WolfSkill5544

let's hope that its good

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:57 pm PT
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Kravyn81

Right now, somewhere, Uwe Boll is pouting.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:26 pm PT
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mattdv

It'll make a better film than game anyways, based on how they've turned out recently.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:12 pm PT
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Romanticide

When i said "But yea the Game sucks so i'm not really excited about this" I meant Driver, not MGS.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:09 pm PT
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doomsoth

Out of all the games they had to pick Driver. That game isn't even that good.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:08 pm PT
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barulez

thats cool Driver will be a movie and maybe do the same style as Pulp Fiction. that would be cool.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:06 pm PT
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Romanticide

MGS movie is in the making, and is directed by David Hayter (X-Men and the actual voice of Solid Snake )

But yea the Game sucks so i'm not really excited about this. Can't wait to see silent hill though.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:06 pm PT
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CliffHicks

Actually, it should be noted that Roger Avary, the guy we're talking about in this article, also wrote the Silent Hill screenplay.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:50 pm PT
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yunghoodz

hmm, Silent Hill owns all other movie game adaptions, unless of course MGS becomes a film

Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:44 pm PT
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NeoJedi

Well if it's in the same vein as Pulp Fiction, it could be quite good.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:17 pm PT
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jstarzyk

What??!??!? What ain't no language I ever heard of.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:56 pm PT
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damned_beast

oh... out of all the games they could pick

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:56 pm PT
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jpriddyboy

QT won that oscar for him. But sounds good none the less.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:45 pm PT
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dawooten

hopefully it turns out good

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:34 pm PT
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Donkeljohn  

That will be some M-rated language, but it just might be better than the current game direction.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:22 pm PT
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DamageCity

we will always have silent hill

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:21 pm PT
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mariokart64fan

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:19 pm PT
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mariokart64fan

driver roxers hope this movie lives up to the games

Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:18 pm PT
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