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City of Heroes suiting up for big screen

Transformers producer scoops up movie rights to NCsoft's superhero MMORPG; television series also possible.

Having apparently run out of old television shows to remake, Hollywood is now hell-bent on scooping up film rights to games. Though the Halo adaptation is on indefinite hold, Prince of Persia is being fast-tracked by megaproducer Jerry Bruckheimer. After a brief stay in development limbo, the Spy Hunter movie is back on the road, although the World of Warcraft film remains a ways off.

Today came word that another massively multiplayer online role-playing game will be headed for the big screen. According to today's Variety, producer Tom DeSanto has acquired the rights to NCsoft and Cryptic Studios' City of Heroes. According to the trade, he was interested in the 2004 game because it and its 2005 sequel City of Villains pit superheroes against aliens and offer a ready-made stable of characters.

"I see this as the next big superhero franchise," said DeSanto, who produced X-Men and the forthcoming Transformers. He reportedly will first make the film into a motion picture, which, if successful, will beget a television series.

80 Comments

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Jun 12, 2007 6:05 pm GMT

    Wow, now this is surprising.

  • marc_hughes

    Posted Jun 12, 2007 7:12 am GMT

    Oh great, another producer who is going to go off on his own tangent with the game licence just there to get funding. Just like Resident Evil. Still, if X-Men and Transformers are anything to go by it will be so dark we won't be able to see how bad it is anyway.

  • Sniper

    Posted Jun 11, 2007 7:39 am GMT

    Two-word translation of DeSanto's "creative" vision: "Me too!"

    Phill "Sniper" Parker

  • TTDog

    Posted Jun 11, 2007 7:24 am GMT

    "I see this as the next big superhero franchise," said DeSanto

    Well he's hardly going to say, "we're going to turn it into a cheap cash in and bury the franchise so deep in turd that no-one will ever want to see it again" is he?

  • tankintheair315

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 7:22 pm GMT

    What a terrible idea

  • Raidis

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 6:35 pm GMT

    I say we start a Gamer Film Union, where rights can only be purchased with our approval, and directors, producers, etc also have to be approved by us.

  • Gruff-182

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 3:22 pm GMT

    The film is a bad idea, but a TV show could work, just think of the show Heroes, only more lighthearted and with tights.

  • rbranma

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 10:27 am GMT

    City of Heroes MMO sucks balls, so why this crap!?

  • orangebrat

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 6:20 am GMT

    Even if done right, this movie will be a huge flop. So will Watchmen.

  • sevvo73lasvegas

    Posted Jun 9, 2007 10:44 pm GMT

    Humph. . . I'd prefer to see "Watchmen" on the Big Screen first!

  • Rentago

    Posted Jun 9, 2007 8:10 pm GMT

    It would be neat if you can enter your own hero you made to star in the movie some how.

    Though I think my old man wearing wonder woman's panties is a bit extreme to star in a movie.

  • MasterAsh42

    Posted Jun 9, 2007 1:58 am GMT

    Umm. . .Am I the only one who believes movies based on MMORPGs kind of, you know, take the RP out of our G?

    Oh, and the only TV City of Heroes for me is The Tick. . .

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 5:11 pm GMT

    Well it could be cool. I wanna see how it will turn out...

  • PacoL250

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 3:56 pm GMT

    Actually in reference to my TV/movie commentary, actually I'll amend it.

    Let it be a movie first and make sure it's good. Several people mentioned it, and Rikti War would be nice but I'd hope that doesn't turn into another Starship Troopers. Perhaps a film about the heroes before the war would work with a semi-cliffhanger ending, leading into the TV-Series.

    Hey Stargate SG-1 pulled it off and if it weren't for budget issues, they'd still be on Sci-Fi (heck, there's still Atlantis - not as good, but good nonetheless).

  • poolboy8

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 3:41 pm GMT

    Ooo, let Uwe Boll direct it! He has experience with video game movies.

  • Dreski83

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 1:55 pm GMT

    I can't tell whats more scary here... the idea that Hollywood is lacking so much creative flare they dare not do something original. Or maybe this superhero movie has the potential to be what Xmen shoulda been...

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 1:04 pm GMT

    Stop this. Please just stop this...The gamers don't want to see this and that is the target audience for these types of movies so just stop now.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 12:01 pm GMT

    There's a joke to be made about this but, I ain't gonna touch it.

  • Valas_Azuviir

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 11:40 am GMT

    playa42018

    I only did a CoH/CoV trial myself, but how about 1) Statesman, 2) Positron, 3) Miss Liberty, 4) Manticore, 5) Sister Psyche, 6) Backalley Bruiser and over on the villain side. 1) Lord Reluse, 2) Ghostwidow, 3) Barracuda, 4) Black Scorpion, 5) Sirroco.

    And that's just quickly from the top of my head and without cheating by doublechecking what I wrote, so I may have gotten one or two wrong. lol.

    But seriously, a CoH movie probably has a better chance of seeing the light of day than the WoW one, if only because Blizzard isn't afraid to pull the plug on something that they think doesn't work.

    And unlike with the WoW movie, CoH has a better chance of being a good movie. WoW runs into the problem that people expect a LOTR-like flick. Good vs Evil, which doesn't work very well these days in the Warcraft setting due to the shades of grey approach that Blizzard has taken since WC3.

    CoH is fairly straightforward in that sense. You got the good guys and then you got the bad guys.

    Considering how much Hollywood likes it sequals. The heroes vs Rikti war would probably be the third movie (good way to leave a series as well). Meaning you'd have some of the earlier stuff like the Reichsmann conflict, the war against Superadine (sp?) the attack by, iirc, Nemesis upon Washington DC or even the involvement of the heroes with WW2 as a introduction.

    One could then use a tv series, preferably animated and adult oriented like the Spawn one was, to fill in some of the gaps. Explore some of the lesser known characters. Hint towards the existence and coming conflict with Arachnos. All to entice folks to play the game as well.

  • Serious

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 9:48 am GMT

    Anything can be made into a top movie or TV series if you take the time to develop it correctly. Lord of the Rings could have been a disaster if it had been rushed. Too many video game movies are rushed to film cause the producers want to have the film out to take advantage of the current hype. However, it should be apparent now that this approach doesn't work. The fans that made the game a success will support it if its taken seriously and done with respect for the original game storyline. Too many times directors that haven't played the game change the plot and chracters to the point that its barely recognizable. I'm a fan of PS3 but I know that a production like Halo shouldn't be rushed and needs a good script and a time tested director in order to work. Also video games movies are often treated as children films. This is a huge mistake. City of Heroes needs to be written and developed by actual comic book writers. The storyboards should be done by comic book artists. To make a good film takes time and planning. Once Hollywood realizes this we can expect a better product.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 9:25 am GMT

    As long as Michael Bay, Brett Ratner, or Uwe Boll don't direct it...it could be decent. Maybe.

  • hunter8man

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 9:18 am GMT

    Stop. Just stop. Please let games and movies just stay apart. Most of them end up sucking anyway.

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 8:51 am GMT

    I can't really see this coming off to well. The only thing that would make it interesting is if all the characters in the movie were real players in the game, who were really dedicated. Now that would be interesting.

  • roams

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 8:19 am GMT

    Hmm well the game does have extensive background stories for an IP that was entirely based on a single game... and the books weren't bad at all...

    They have great characters but they need to drop some others... like Mynx for example... she comes up and proves you can actually reach your fill and have enough from the "hot-tempered feral girl" archetype.

  • prioritymail

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 6:29 am GMT

    It continues...........
    How many game-movie crossovers will fail until someone learns a lesson?

  • Aushan

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 5:12 am GMT

    sigh...

  • lightningbugx

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 4:32 am GMT

    Movies based on games and games based on movies. Both can exist, and be great. Unfortunately writers suck at capturing the essence that made the game. My chief example is Resident Evil.

    I know any great story can be translated into alternative formats, but it all depends on the skill of the translator.

  • karnovrpg

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 1:14 am GMT

    It's a shame Uwe Bolle isn't making this. This could be a major hit.
    (By hit, I mean hit in the face.)

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 12:41 am GMT

    i dont see how they can adapt custom heroes/villains in to a film

  • Oni

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 12:10 am GMT

    *sigh* I'm not even gonna waste my breath anymore.

  • diablobasher

    Posted Jun 8, 2007 12:01 am GMT

    Lame. Again.

  • playa42018

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 11:59 pm GMT

    How many people play City of Heroes really? lol. I played it when it first came out for about a month and can only name off 1 of the main characters (Statesmen, I think). This movie will tank even if the movie is well made just cause I dont see there being a big audience for it.

  • darknferno12

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 11:13 pm GMT

    I thought they would've waited until a good video game into a movie was made before opening the flood gates now i can't wait to see whats next maybe WoW or Starcraft?

  • chronogamer27

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 11:11 pm GMT

    good lord, what the hell is up with this recent wave of people starting movies based on games??? seriously, they will all SUCK

  • lamprey263

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 11:01 pm GMT

    I loved the South Park WoW episode; they should do something like that.

  • Ninty33

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:58 pm GMT

    just pretend coh was originally a comic instead of a game. then it'll be a movie based off of a comic that has already had a game made around it. then we dont have to play the "omfg movie about a game AHHHH flop" game.

    I would love to see the rikti invasion live on the big screen. Final battle is an epic fight between states and recluse. ooo, I'd be there on the first night no doubt. CoH is a big enough world that it might actually work. Those special effects would have to be amazing though.

  • Kfoss

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:47 pm GMT

    WHYYYYYYYYYY!!!

  • Diablo2343

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:37 pm GMT

    LOVE COH....anything concerning video game movies=BAD

  • PacoL250

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:34 pm GMT

    A few people have put it best: how's the average person going to view this? NBC already has Heroes and there are plenty of other comic-book/super-hero/villain movies out there that this may leave people wondering.

    Also, no other story besides the main plot would really work. And even still, the main plot is a bit more far-fetched than one would think. I think it can be pulled off, but I'd like to see this a TV series first (say start on Sci-Fi, and go from there).

    However, unlike DeSanto, I don't see this as "the next big superhero franchise." The game has a decent sized following, but it's not as large as say WoW, nor has it gotten as much exposure. It is unique in the MMO world, I'll give it that.

    I played this thing during the first phase of the beta test, played it about a year, stopped and went back when the Villains portion came out. I stopped playing about 4 months ago when my budget didn't have the room for an MMO, heh.

  • R3V3N4N7

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:18 pm GMT

    Stop making game movies. There has not been one good one. Mortal Kombat does not count. Sure it was one of the better game movies but thats not saying much. It was still a bad movie.

  • ShockG707

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 10:16 pm GMT

    Bad idea.

  • Phafnir

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 9:47 pm GMT

    As long as Uwe Bowl doesn't touch it!

  • monco59

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 9:47 pm GMT

    Whatever...

  • september_basic

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 9:44 pm GMT

    These guys already have a CGI movie sitting around waiting. I do not see any reason to fuss.

  • Carnage-

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 9:02 pm GMT

    They should just call this "Mystery Men 2".

  • Warlock89

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 8:25 pm GMT

    I trust this guy with the movie, but pleaseeee leave this franchise alone. PLZ

  • GIF

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 8:21 pm GMT

    It can be cool as long as they stick to the core characters, the feel of the game and the most important part, the story. There is no need to fuss with anything really. Please don't put everyone in black leather. Make this entirely CGI.

  • Adam_the_Nerd

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 8:16 pm GMT

    Wow, next thing you know, there will be a tonne of movie based games. I just hope they're not crap like well, previous movie based games.

  • barne1dr

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 7:58 pm GMT

    Well they do have a comic book series they've been/are making so it certainly seems they could adapt those same principles (though I'm not sure if they were given rights to those actual storylines) to an animated TV show...can't see why that wouldn't work - hell I'd watch it from time to time...maybe purchase it on itunes or something like that. The movie I imagine would have little to do with the game beyond a few names/logos since the game is an open-ended mmo and thus doesn't have a very crisp and clean ready-to-go story. We better get used to this though - all mediums are closing gaps and nothing on any medium is safe from the clutches of the next. Our media is becoming inbred....and that doesn't always produced the prettiest materials. *shrug* doesn't hurt my feelings though - as of yet they can't make me watch it. When that point comes I'll start to give a ****

  • Daelock

    Posted Jun 7, 2007 7:56 pm GMT

    So no sequel but a movie?...yaaaaay...

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