Army of Two marches on Hollywood

Big-screen rights for Electronic Arts' buddy-based shooter sold to Universal Pictures, Bourne Ultimatum cowriter tapped for screenplay.

Electronic Arts, known by many for its blockbuster franchises, such as Need for Speed and The Sims, has been focusing its resources on original intellectual property in recent years. At the E3 Media & Business Summit in 2007, the company's CEO, John Riccitiello, told the Wall Street Journal that people were being "bored to death" by the sequels trend. The company has published new IP, such as Crysis, Boogie, Dead Space, and Army of Two during the past year, and has more to come alongside sequels to its top-selling games, such as FIFA.

Riccitiello also sees the gaming industry becoming a power player in the movie world. He said in February 2008 that, "There is more interest today from Hollywood to make movies out of our games than there is interest in our industry to make games out of their movies." That seems to be coming true today, as Variety is reporting that Universal Pictures has bought the rights to make buddy-based action game Army of Two into a film. According to the Variety report, The Sims and Mass Effect are also set to hit the big screen in the future. Games, such as Hitman, Tomb Raider, and Street Fighter, have already made the transition to cinema with varying degrees of success.

Scott Z. Burns, who cowrote The Bourne Ultimatum, has been signed up to write the script. Army of Two follows the adventures of Salem and Rios, two mercenaries who take on terrorists in such settings as Iraq, Somalia, and Miami. It has sold more than a million units since release.

[UPDATE] EA has confirmed in a statement today that Army of Two will be made into a film. Producer Scott Stuber said, "Electronic Arts is a pioneer in its field, and I look forward to collaborating with them and the Universal team in taking their cutting-edge storytelling into the world of film."

92 Comments

  • sleath_hunter33

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 5:30 pm PT

    cant wait itll own

  • gameguy7895

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 4:27 pm PT

    This would be sick the story would have to change a bit but yeah

  • cjno13

    Posted Oct 31, 2008 1:39 am PT

    also to berwickmex, and how many movies out there, especially action movies, are super realistic??? Seriously what do you expect its a freakin' video game!!

  • cjno13

    Posted Oct 31, 2008 1:36 am PT

    lol @ haskell420 NONE of the movies you mentioned are based on games ...... so what was the point you were trying to make??? cos i really dont see one.... and i quote "It's UNBELIEVABLE how they can take a good/great game, and turn it into a horrendous straight to video release or a movie that lasts 1 month in the theaters." and then all you go on to talk about if comic book movies, which ARE NOT video game movies. Games-to-movies would be Tomb Raider, Doom, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter etc (some of which are actually listed in the above news)...... so epic fail for you there lol!!!! As for an Amry of Two movie, if done well it could be a great summer movie and i look forward to seeing how it moves ahead.

  • frazzle00

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 11:54 pm PT

    @Sanguis_Malus

    The average critics' score for Army of Two is 74. I hardly think that indicates that the game is a turd. And as for the story, how is it any worse than the story in a typical Hollywood summer blockbuster? Personally I think that Army of Two lends itself to a cinema transition. I hope they go with the old school 80s action feel, rather than the boring CGI sh*t seen nowadays .

  • artiebillymac

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 11:24 pm PT

    LOL i'll have to get the game first then check out the film when ever its released .. .

  • Mcortijo01

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 10:57 am PT

    The Army of Two script is being written by one of the writers of the Bourne Ultimatum, might not be so bad.

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 3:08 am PT

    These Hollywood types are pathetic.
    As the saying goes "you can't make a silk purse out of a cows ear" - The game is recognised as being turd, the film will be turd.

    Too much love of money and no creativity or originality, they deserve to fail !

  • paranoiasurviva

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 12:56 am PT

    Wtf.... this game sucked o.O especially the story. This movie is going to suck more most likely. Though, I'd still give it a chance.

  • tudyniuz

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 4:02 pm PT

    why make a movie with the Army of Two story,which was probably one of the worst parts of the game?Why?

  • 13lackfriday

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 11:37 pm PT

    The Army of Two storyline was awful and shallow.
    This guy's got bombs: kill him.
    This guy's a terrorist: kill him.
    This guy's important: save him.

    Honestly, I wouldn't see any difference between this and the old action-hero Chuck-Norris movies.

  • berwickmex

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 11:27 pm PT

    If they make the movie just like the game, It's going to be way unrealistic because throughout the whole game 2 guys kill hundreds of people by themselves.

  • senorbusyman

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 5:14 pm PT

    this is just a bogus intempt to make budget 4 another lame movie dat people may or may not see. I say screw this film, & game cuz da game sucked, & dis film will just be a waste of time, & money!

  • prioritymail

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 4:56 pm PT

    It wasn't that great of a game, but somehow, I think it will turn out to be a better movie than game

  • vvtony

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 2:49 pm PT

    This might be good, but since all videogame movies made so far have sucked, I'm not optimistic.

  • iamtheleg

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 1:24 pm PT

    In the books MC was a redhead with freckles.

  • BloodMist

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 9:16 am PT

    There's an easy enough solution to that, make Master Chief CG and put the same voice actor in the role as has been in the games.

  • _mostwanted_

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 9:11 am PT

    they are not gonna make a halo movie!!!!!!

    there would be too much controversy on who plays master chief. and since you never see master chief...ever when they announce who is playing him then there will be chaos.

    and don't even say that its gonna show his face in halo 4, because halo 4 isn't even being made by Bungie, its being made by Gearbox, and they cant use master chief. Also Bungie said they are done with master chief.

  • roxythethegreat

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 9:02 am PT

    ALLoY1717,
    i heard they dumped the halo movie for the gears movie(thank god)

  • snowboy637

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 7:32 am PT

    Halo rulez man, shame there taking the mik with the movie...

  • OmegaB0ss

    Posted Oct 25, 2008 6:20 am PT

    Still no Halo movie? Epic fail ..

  • thenewau25

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:40 pm PT

    how about march to pc?

  • DoMiNiC147 posted Oct 24, 2008 9:18 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    DoMiNiC147

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 9:18 pm PT (hide)

    So wait there's a chance that the Sims is going to be turned into a movie? How does that workout?

  • NightmareCV

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 9:17 pm PT

    i wonder it it will be actors or CG...either way if its as good as the game(which i really like) then ill be happy

  • Drift2Cyber

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 8:44 pm PT

    Can't wait to buy that movie!

  • Unholy_Terror

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 7:57 pm PT

    I could see this being a decent movie, but that could just be because I really liked this game (ignore Gamespot's review...). And Maverick, based on the game having back-to-back and overkill sequences, I'm going to guess there will be plenty of "commando" scenes.

  • FLYEboi50

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 7:18 pm PT

    this movie is going to have to do somtin with politics now or how america's economy might be corrupting the normal military or somtin around those lines
    and
    haters plz stop hatin, ya know i actually liked that game, real fun to play with friends, jus that this game didnt feel fully complete. it was too short. AND YES DEAD SPACE SHOULD BE A MOVIE...even though playin that game is already much like a great movie.

  • haskell420

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 7:09 pm PT

    I don't care what games are made into movies, I JUST WANT THEM TO BE GOOD DAMMIT.LOL
    It's UNBELIEVABLE how they can take a good/great game, and turn it into a horrendous straight to video release or a movie that lasts 1 month in the theaters. I wouldn't care if they made Pixel Junk into a film, if it's done right as we all know, it could rock..lol ok maybe not Pixel Junk but lol
    Over the years, and I am not going to start out with the fake Batman tv show movie..lol
    Original Punisher movie..1980 sumthin-Dolph Lundgren, Lou Gossett Jr.- I thought it was better then the Thomas Jane one. Wssn't that bad, but not as horrible as many make it out to be. Plot, pretty good..his gun selection horrible. Dolph's Punisher..dark, gloomy, miserable, and depressed from family deaths..
    ..."if their guilty, their dead".. is a great line..
    Capt. America- early 90's HORRIBLY HORRIBLE

    Ones that rocked:
    -Superman: just plain wow for that time.
    -Tim Burtons: Batman aweeome the sequal with Devitto and Pfeiffer pretty good. All of em after that? Went downhill really fast- Defining moment of low point- Nipples on the Bat Suit!Are you kidding me...NIPPLES??
    -Present day Dark Knight: AWESOME.. SEQUAL AWESOME Thrilled that Bale has locked into the role well, and next year he's John Conner in Terminator Salvation and signed on for 3 of em no less..
    XMEN- ROCKED, X2 ROCKED..X3..Greatadd a little more getting ti know you moments of characters, up to wow

    Ghost Rider: Sigh one of my favorite comics, but Nicholas Cage? COME ON now. As he turns into GH 1st time, and turns around, his torso frame in that tight jacket..ugh..looked like a 15 yr old...
    Oh the possiblities I had hoped for that movie..sigh..
    Hulk ang lee...pfft
    Iron Man, was fantastic
    New Hulk.. havent seen yet.

    Watchmen is coming soon, and that is gonna ROCK.., and have high HIGH hope for Wolverine in May..

  • ctburesch

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 5:03 pm PT

    dead space should be a movie...

  • ctburesch

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 5:03 pm PT

    Why> It was a lame game. It will be followed by a lame movie? Don't understand the logic here...

  • siLVURcross

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 4:43 pm PT

    So long as they don't show ugly pimped out guns.

  • maverick_76

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 4:06 pm PT

    This could be done pretty well if the movie depicts the horrors of war and is realistic. Please no commando scenes where one guy takes down 100.

  • shortys1803

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 3:52 pm PT

    Army of two has a story as well a traitor within the company.

  • Scianix-Black

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 3:42 pm PT

    Why would you make a movie about such a mediocre game?

    There are countless other GREAT games they could have chosen..

  • feararagon

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 3:27 pm PT

    GTA IV would make a good movie becuase it has a story!

  • VenomRitual

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 3:18 pm PT

    great. another videogame movie. just bring us Halo. and make it with a 300mil budget so it's not crappy!

  • Kro_429

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:53 pm PT

    I wish they'd pick good games to make into movies...or at least games with actual story lines that are worth anything. Instead we get Army of Two and Halo :/

  • auron_16

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:43 pm PT

    should be good if they can pull it off well

  • Pete5506

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:39 pm PT

    wow a movie out of that, I dont get it

  • havocmerc

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:27 pm PT

    As long as the movie is well written and it does not turn out like the straight to dvd crap that I have been watching lately, it should be pretty good.

    I mean it's a good concept to begin with. To mercs, the best of the best, both complementing each others skills like the average Navy SEAL team of 8 guys.

    Yeah, once they spend some money on decent special effects nand hire a military consultant for realistic pointers it should be ok.

    Or maaybe they should just start with an Army of Two Comic book.

  • lysol3000

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    What do you suppose the plot for The Sims would be?

  • EXxile

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:21 pm PT

    Good to see this being made into a movie. However, while this game is getting made there is still no sign of a Halo movie. What gives?

  • ALLoY1717

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:18 pm PT

    And Gears and Halo are still on the back burner. Hollywood knows it stuff huh?

  • BloodMist

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 2:06 pm PT

    Crappy game makes crappy movie.No thanks hollywood.

  • Media_Mind

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 1:57 pm PT

    meh

  • roxythethegreat

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 12:02 pm PT

    lol the game was aflop idk why they would think a movie is a good idea. im pumped for the gears movie(disappointed its not gonna be CGI).

  • darknferno12

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:58 am PT

    The game was cool, It seems (unlike the sims) that AOT could become a good movie and another thing I still can't believe the horrible review AOT received

  • TheWampaKing

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:23 am PT

    er, The Bioshock movie sounds better.

  • Crazyeye78

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:18 am PT

    Sims hitting the big screen? Lol wtf

  • biggy887766

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 11:16 am PT

    Could be a great movie if down correctly, possibly like a bad boys comedy movie but in the middle east.

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