Wolfenstein headed for Hollywood

Seminal first-person shooter universe to be setting for feature film; Silent Hill writer attached to pen, direct.

The 2005 film adaptation of id Software's first-person shooter Doom may not have packed the punch of a BFG 9000 at the box office, but now another of the Texas-based developer's stable of first-person franchises is getting a shot at the big screen. Variety is reporting today that id's Wolfenstein series of games is being adapted to a feature film.

The writer and producer behind Silent Hill are reteaming to create Return to Castle Wolfenstein, according to the Hollywood trade paper. The film will follow protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz and his squad of troops as they investigate Nazi experiments with the paranormal in the midst of World War II.

The film will be written and directed by Roger Avary, who won an Academy Award for Best Writing for his work on Pulp Fiction. His previous directorial work includes The Rules of Attraction and Killing Zoe. The producer on the film, Samuel Hadida, has also been behind the Resident Evil movies, and Good Night and Good Luck.

158 Comments

  • Treflis

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 7:09 am PT

    This better not be as bad as Resident Evil : Extinctions.
    I'm amazed Capcom didn't sue the producer over how horrible that movie was, I know I would've done that if my product had been butchered and gangraped like that by Hollywood.

  • tsb247

    Posted Aug 5, 2008 10:37 am PT

    HOORAY! Finally, a game to movie creation NOT directed by Eue Boll (however you spell it)!

  • Robert9650

    Posted Jul 28, 2008 6:39 am PT

    I so definitely want to see these movie when it hits the big screen, and for all those who play Wolfenstein, The Wolfenstein series kicks ass, as I used to play it myself.

  • Assassinspeed

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 3:22 pm PT

    Okay it's an awesome series but it's not making it to the big screen.

  • lil_luz_10

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 7:44 pm PT

    Oh gosh "Samuel Hadida, has also been behind the Resident Evil movies" NOOOOO please don't have a stupid scene where you try and educate a Nazi experiment zombie or something...educating zombies in Resident Evil: Extinction was by far on of the worst things to come to movies since "anamalities" in the infamous MK: Annihilation. Silent Hill was average, but I never did play the videogames, so I didnt know what to expect, and Doom...should have never been a movie

    My childhood is being destroyed

    ...X-Men: The Last Stand - TERRIBLE, and no sentinels, Apocalypse, or Sinister whatsoever ugh!, MK: Annihilation - CORNY, Resident Evil movies - 1 & 2 not so bad, Extinction TERRIBLE, Spiderman - pretty good, not enough Venom and no Carnage errr, Street Figher - Jean Claude Van Dam...I cant remember did he do the splits like he does in all his movies?, G.I. Joe is already being changed because of someones political opinions, so Im guessing that will suck, Transformers - good its own right, but not as true to the 80s show as I would have liked it to been

    please Hollywood stop butchering my childhood

  • BloodWerewolf

    Posted May 30, 2008 10:13 am PT

    Wolfenstein as a movie? Sounds great. Can't wait to see B.J. on the silver screen. Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke Nukem, can '08 get any better?

  • madtwnbdgr

    Posted Sep 7, 2007 7:08 am PT

    I can't wait for this movie, yes Doom sucked. Who here doesn't like to see a dead Nazi or one getting ripped apart. Please oh please do not have the Rock in it.

  • Slayervorge3000

    Posted Aug 11, 2007 2:15 pm PT

    Sweet! Wolfenstein as a movie!

  • Bozanimal

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 6:52 am PT

    Good God, I hope it's not another Resident Evil, Doom, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, or Street Fighter. Am I wrong to hope it will be half-decent?

  • GtheMVP

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 5:25 pm PT

    It could very easily be a great movie, or a crappy one, but at least a cool setting is present. Who doesn't love the mysticism surrounding those crazy Nazi's?

  • Lee_Stricklin

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 2:57 pm PT

    This better not suck. I'm still p***ed off about Doom.

  • SpazH3d

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 1:03 pm PT

    make it like the 3rd evil dead movie, k thx.

  • ahbeng_basic

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 6:52 am PT

    I hope it turns out good... atleast its not another Uwe Bolls movie...

  • IGDetail

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:32 pm PT

    Is this really going to destroy a great franchise if it fails at the box office? I don't think so... how many die-hard Wolf fans are out there anyways? I played the original, but Doom definitely killed it as a game for me (then Quake of course). It better have Hitler in a robot suit!

  • REd_toe

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 8:48 pm PT

    i predict that its going to make a lot of money its opening weekend but nothing after that.

  • DJ_Steady

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 5:37 pm PT

    Why would they do this...??? This is taking the game to movies to far.

  • DJGeki

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:55 pm PT

    You've got to be kidding me...who in their right mind would take a 'story' like Wolfenstein and make it into a movie? There wasn't any story in the original, and I thought the modern-day adaptation was just that: an adaptation.

  • king_bobo

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 1:09 pm PT

    It go well... then again it could be disastrous.

  • cloud0830

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 10:14 am PT

    The end to a great game.

  • LexLas

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 9:49 am PT

    Cool ! I loved playing that game. I can 't wait.

  • stonerose

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:24 am PT

    why o why?

  • W1r3d

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 12:51 am PT

    I just hope to god that they are making the movie for the gamers. These days there just has to be a love story in whatever movie made. I say NO! We obviously have the technology to create stunning CG movies. Just as a example, watch the intro to Mark of Chaos or Final Fantasy XII or Final Fantasy Advent Children. I agree that they are expensive to make but it will be way worth it in the end. They will most likely end up using tons and tons of CG anyway so why not skip the costly actorsallaries. Make it gritty, make it bloody, get a mature rating and of course DON'T loose track of the spirit of the game. If i see people getting shot in this movie and no blood sprays from them. I will go in there and paint it myself.

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 8:13 pm PT

    Yippie! Just exactly what we don't need!

  • yarminKun

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 5:29 pm PT

    silent hill was the second good movie based on a video game, the first was mortal kombat, even though both of them were mediocre at best. all the rest ...suck ass. they should just do video game movies that have incredible storylines (deus ex,max payne,kotor,etc) even though, knowing hollywood, they would flop and they would destroy everything good the game stands for =\. still, this looks like a another doom, which isnt a good thing. lets just wait n see.

  • DFTricks

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 5:19 pm PT

    It has potential! I like it ^^

  • Esteban011487

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 1:42 pm PT

    Man!. I enjoyed Silent Hill, If they could make this movie a hit, I will play the game again!.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 1:08 pm PT

    At first I thought Silent Hill was going to really really really suck, as most game-to-movie movies do, but when I rented it, it so very much exceeded my expectations, so much so I couldn't tell if it was actually good or that I just expected it to be a lot worse. Still, I believe I enjoyed it.

  • vitz3

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    Silent Hill was freaking awesome. So I expect good things from this. That said. A lot of what made SH the movie good was the fact that the director was a fan of the games himself.

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 11:56 am PT

    From the vague description given in this article this upcoming movie sounds like it could be a bit similar to the HellBoy movie but with B.J. and his squad filling in for HellBoy and company.

  • iceuk

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 11:28 am PT

    I won't complain if it's a vid of the classic game, and someone doing a speed run through it

  • zapper188

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 11:12 am PT

    Well, in that case R.I.P Wolfeinstein

  • Neo_Gamer81

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 10:55 am PT

    Why can’t they leave well enough alone? Doom sucked on screen and if there going for the main guy and squad stuff I’m out. If they want to do it right then it should just be B.J. Blazkowicz escaping Wolfenstine. Come to think of it, that won’t work either. Face it this will be almost as bad as a Uie Bowl film.

  • zapper188

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 10:53 am PT

    Haven't seen Silent Hill but it always looked okk..Doom sucked big time and it really could of been good..

    This film, well I'm thankful that Uwe Boll is absolutely nowhere near it.
    That man deserves to never touch a camera or script again in his life

  • axia_777

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 10:32 am PT

    This WILL be cr@p. Doom the movie anyone? Anyone? Yah, I thought so.

  • willripyouanew1

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 8:48 am PT

    This just may work, either way i'm watching it.

  • g8rback

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 7:54 am PT

    ok - so doom sucked ass big time. silent hill was pretty much garbage as well. each of these guys by themselves is capable of producing some good stuff but to put them together again to make another movie after the last one bombed at the box office? it seems like this one is destined for failure.

  • flashtek

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 6:46 am PT

    I dont think some games translate well on the big screen i.e... Blood Rayne, Doom, Super Mario Brothers, and Double Dragon. Only a rare few have been some what good in movies i.e... Tomb Raider, Silent Hill, and Resident Evil Series. I think they need to leave WW2 games like Wolfenstein alone. I dont want to watch Band of Brothers meets Land of the Dead. There have been enough cheezie movies about this "topic" SS Doomtrooper etc...

  • kingofdasouth69

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 6:09 am PT

    well, i guess i can see this movie. i don't know much about the game so it won't be a dissapointment to me like Doom. and at leats Uwe Boll isnt a part of this, but he is directing the Far Cry film

  • starcutter20000

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 5:49 am PT

    How bout they make a FAllout movie or one based on 1998's Baldur's Gate now that would make sense. But no they choose the most basic brainless garbage they can find so they can screw with it as much as they want. They couldn't even get Doom's concept right how the hell will they get this one?

  • Vod_Crack

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 2:22 am PT

    Imagine Saving Private Ryan with zombies and even more explosive action... I wish!

  • LordLeckie

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 1:39 am PT

    out of all the franchises....they chose this...........

    cant thye see that simply touting a popular franchise is not enough to get us into the cinemas?

  • ryaz_weaponx

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 1:38 am PT

    DOOM SUCKED BIGTIME i just hope they dont screw this one up.

  • kayin465

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 8:12 pm PT

    I still love Wolf3D, but this movie seems a bit too late to even cash in on Return to Castle Wolfenstein, let alone the game most people associate with the name Wolfenstein. However, It's not a bad idea, and there's no Uwe Boll involvement, so things are looking up a bit. Maybe it'll be a decent movie? [/false hope]

  • Dreski83

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 8:00 pm PT

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 7:17 pm PT

    He didn't really work on any good movies (the director) maybe some were alright, but nothing phenomenal.. Video games don't adapt well to being movies, and this game basically has a story that no one cares about it's a excuse to kill tons of nazis and zombies and crap.. I mean come on... but as others have said robo-hitler ftw .

  • HardShellCafe

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 7:03 pm PT

    Yep, there is only one factor that will make this movie worth seeing... RoboHitler. Without him, it's nothing and not worth it.

    That, and it should be "Wolfenstein 3D" and take place only in corridors featuring 90 degree turns and pixilated Nazis that only have front sides...

    It would be great if they went for a B movie here. Alas, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell might do it, but I doubt it will go that way.

  • LGAKAgregory

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 5:42 pm PT

    Cant wait i love wolfenstein!

  • lamprey263

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 5:00 pm PT

    wow, this feels like too little too late on a chance to capitalize on the movie of Wolfenstein, that's like bringing back Duke Nukem, and even that'd probably do better than Wolfenstein... hmm, I wounder if the Germans are going to go through the trouble to ban the movie like they did the game

  • ElectrolightSH

    Posted Aug 5, 2007 3:00 pm PT

    foolwestcoast33, In most movies and TV shows women are murdered way more often then men, you are ignorant and sexist to think otherwise.

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