Variety: Spy Hunter film back on track

Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson reportedly will helm and write revitalized movie adaptation of Midway game.

The on-again, off-again big-screen treatment of Midway's arcade driving game Spy Hunter seems to be on once more. Variety is reporting that Universal Pictures is once again trying to turn the key on a Spy Hunter film, this time with veteran game-to-movie filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) set to cowrite and direct.

Whether or not Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson--previously attached to play the film's protagonist--will remain attached to the project is undetermined. Johnson previously appeared in Midway's Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, a game that had been intended to tie in to the movie before Universal's production hit delays.

Among Anderson's current projects are Death Race (a remake of the 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000) and Castlevania, based on Konami's long-running vampire-hunting series.

83 Comments

  • jasonlc3221

    Posted Jul 2, 2008 9:43 am PT

    Please oh please let it have Dwayne Johnson. It will suck if it doesn't have him, and will be awesome if it does have him.

  • theKSMM

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 3:36 pm PT

    Midway kinda got screwed by the delay in the movie production. Having the game without a movie to tie into couldn't have been good for their sales. Maybe they'll be ready to release a Spy Hunter 2 by the time the film is done.

  • JBiker51

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 4:26 pm PT

    Just thank God that it isn't Uwe Boll...

  • DrKill09

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 1:17 pm PT

    This movie will ruin the Spy Hunter name more than both Spy Hunter II (original) and Spy Hunter 2 (remake)

  • GrimBee

    Posted Jun 5, 2007 3:34 am PT

    Spy Hunter as a movie will be seen as a clear spy kids genre of a movie. It will seriously dive.

    If you think about a Spy Hunter movie, just for a second - what comes to your mind?
    For me, straight away I see the trailier showing off some crazy stunts on the road, explosions - epic music (typically)... and then silence as the car hurls off a bridge from a bad explosion...

    Suddenly it transforms and then turns into a boat and carries on the insanity.

    There, thats the best and ONLY part that should be made live action. Think about it, the entire plot is narrated by a K.I.T.T voice over (hehe) and you hardly ever see the main character do ANYTHING. They had just better make a Spy Hunter game with a plot first, before making a movie out of it.

    Except some crazy driving scenes (I doubt the credibility of the director will get a big budget though..) there is nothing to this game that makes a good movie.

  • Nharia12

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:40 pm PT

    Do us all a favor Universal, just release it straight to DVD to save everyone the embarrassement this movie will be.

  • ELDDJOC

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:23 pm PT

    Not that Son of a B**** again - he screwed over RE and now he wants to do the same to other noteworthy franchises.

    If he had any sense at all, he would have either shot himself in the head, or gone and jumped off a cliff. Garbage like him does not deserve to live on this planet.

  • panteral3

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 8:10 pm PT

    NOOOO! NOT CASTLEVANIA! Damn you, Paul Anderson!

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 6:01 pm PT

    We really don't need this...

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 2:52 pm PT

    A Spy Hunter movie? Oh wow, this is going to be dreadful. First off video game movies usually aren't so awesome.. second off the Spy Hunter games are pretty much all crap, and third it just isn't a game that easily adapts to being a movie.

  • carrierj1

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 2:48 pm PT

    I'm also a fan of Uwe Boll. I can't wait to see "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Seige Tale". Even the name is hilarious! I can't believe that he has completed four movies this year. It's only June!

  • Jedilink109

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:53 am PT

    Ughs. Please Anderson...leave our videogames alone...go back to making other films. But regardless...at least Anderson's movies are better than Uwe Boll's...and yes I know this because I've seen 3 Boll films. And waiting to see more in fact! They're so horrible, they're hilarious. My buddies and I watch his "horror" films for some laughs.

  • TRH4469

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:27 am PT

    its such a bad idea. the game wasn't even that good or popular. if the rock has anything to do with this its going to suck. did anyone see doom?? that movie made me want to stick an ice pick in my eyes after a while.

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 10:00 am PT

    SPY HUNTER!? I think I just oil slicked in my pants!

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 9:56 am PT

    Not another one.

  • brutikas2

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 9:40 am PT

    WOW! He Fuqed up AvP; that guy makes garbage movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 8:27 am PT

    oh boy.... here we go with yet another C- game/movie

  • Jimbo9981

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 7:49 am PT

    Spyhunter kinda sucks anyway, so it doesn't matter if Anderson directs it. For Castlevania, though, keep this guy away. He and Uwe Boll suck big time.

  • darth-revan

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 6:59 am PT

    I didnt know they were doing castlevania. As a diehard castlevania fan (ask me ANYTHING about castlevania) i really hope they either cancel it, or change directors.

  • HazeInhaler

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 10:52 pm PT

    I am patientley waiting for Castlevania to come to the Big screen

  • DeadBullet

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 9:23 pm PT

    Won't work.

  • crithon

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 8:29 pm PT

    ugh.... well, when you get like Paul WS Anderson, the film eventually gets done. I mean is anyone still waiting for John Woo's Metroid? Peter Jackson's Halo? Richard Donner's Crazy Taxi? Jackie Chan's Tekken? I mean 90% of video game movies get delayed or canceled and they come out every 3 to 4 years. Paul WS Anderson, regardless of quality if probably the only one who keeps making them.... aside from Uwe Boll, still producing and directing a movie is a lot about colaborating with a movie studio. Molding and bending a story till it's accept by all people involved. I mean that's the reason why Halo was canceled with 20th centure fox and Universal, Peter Jackson's demands were unreasonable with the studio. Paul WS Anderson knows how to really change the story to make the studio happy..... it's not a good story and usually just goes really far from the video game, but it's how films get made.

  • uncledeath2005

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 5:25 pm PT

    Mr Anderson..you must destroy/make another movie.

  • prioritymail

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 4:53 pm PT

    its not going to work! why bring it back to life?

  • Veritas_Vincit

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 4:41 pm PT

    Ugh. I hope this doesn't end up like the Mortal Kombat movies.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 4:24 pm PT

    The game wasn't that bad, but the movie could be good too, it's the Rock after all.

  • goddessakasha

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 3:59 pm PT

    A Castlevania movie???? woo hoo! I hope it's faithful to the games!!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 3:56 pm PT

    I'm glad that they didn't let this project die

  • VanGriffin

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 12:38 pm PT

    I dunno. Having the rock drive the car... I dunno. 4 screenplay rewrites.... i dunno. Maybe their making it not to be so bad? I dunno.. Anderson can't be THAT bad. MK & RE both earned sequels. I dunno. I'll wait to see who else is cast.

  • Sonicgod

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 12:23 pm PT

    this was a bad idea when they put the rock on as a spy.

    He is nothing like a spy and he don't look anything like the spy on the side of the arcade cabinet,

    They would be better off with rejects from the last james bond movie.

  • gmayronne

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 12:11 pm PT

    ack!!! what a turd in the punch bowl this will be

  • T-bone123

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 8:49 am PT

    Of all games why Spyhunter? Why not The Legend of Zelda?

  • Ottothebobcat

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 12:21 am PT

    Maybe it'll only be Mortal Kombat bad as opposed to Resident Evil bad.

  • nghtcrwlr821

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 12:00 am PT

    I'm not even remotely excited about this movie.

  • Questlove711

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 11:50 pm PT

    Gross.

  • Carnage143

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 11:35 pm PT

    I had very little faith in this from the beginning. However, since Paul W.S. Anderson signed one, what little faith I did have, has been flushed down the toilet.

  • Mp5slipknot

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 11:10 pm PT

    I always say as long as Boll isn't involved there is a small light of hope.

  • jjsand28

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 11:06 pm PT

    I don't understand how this guy still has a job in Hollywood. Pretty much every movie he makes is garbage. Alien vs. Predator anyone!?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_W.S._Anderson

  • fmobliv06

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 8:50 pm PT

    a remake of death race 2000? i doubt there's any more than 5 people in the world who would want to see that

  • andypipkin85

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 7:54 pm PT

    wasnt john woo supposed to be directing this?

  • raze-boi

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 6:15 pm PT

    I hope Halo will be on track like this again...

  • Fusekazuki

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 4:17 pm PT

    Umm Blackace...there is an Ironman movie comming out.

  • Somini

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 3:36 pm PT

    At least, Paul W.S. Anderson is somewhat better than Uwe Boll... That doesn't say much though...

  • emerald101

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 3:28 pm PT

    i never knew there was a castlevania movie!!!!!

  • fattyxboxbutt

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 2:40 pm PT

    I wish he could make a movie as good as Event Horizon again.

  • Blazer88

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    Sure to be craptacular!

  • ufopuller

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 12:59 pm PT

    Another DOOM (oh no!!!!)

  • Adam_the_Nerd

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 12:49 pm PT

    ROCk does suck. If anything, pick a slick, sly guy who doesn't look like he's just been working out at the gym for 6 months on steroids. It's SPY hunter man, pick a cool guy with a brain! Geez.
    Anyone see the Robot Chicken spoof of this? I'd love to see a movie of this.

  • football_legend

    Posted Jun 2, 2007 12:45 pm PT

    The ROCK STINKS! Go back to WWE.

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