Ex-Activision prez getting Legendary's game on?

Source: Everyone's favorite Hollywood trade, Variety. What we heard: Last October, a tremor went through the game industry when Variety reported that Epic Games might be acquired. However, instead of a big corporate monolith like Microsoft, the suitor in question was Legendary Pictures. Besides...

Source: Everyone's favorite Hollywood trade, Variety.

What we heard: Last October, a tremor went through the game industry when Variety reported that Epic Games might be acquired. However, instead of a big corporate monolith like Microsoft, the suitor in question was Legendary Pictures. Besides being flush with cash from such blockbuster films as 300 and The Dark Knight, the privately held production company is also bankrolling the big-screen adaptation of Epic's Gears of War. The movie, slated for release next year, is being directed by Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld) and executive-produced by Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski.

Legendary's reported advances toward Epic came shortly after its CEO, Thomas Tull, quit the board of the now-defunct upstart publisher Brash Entertainment. However, the experience hasn't put the company off the game trail, with Variety today reporting that it is in negotiations to sign Kathy Vrabeck to lead a new games division.

If Legendary does hire Vrabeck, it will be a sign that Tull is deadly serious about getting into games. Most recently, she served a brief stint as president of Electronic Arts' EA Casual label--which she mysteriously left last year shortly before it was quietly folded into the Sims Studio. Prior to that, she served as president of Activision Publishing from 2003-2005 after serving as executive vice president of worldwide publishing and global brand management at the publisher.

The official story: Attempts to get a comment from Legendary Pictures had been unsuccessful as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Given Variety's track record, it's probably not bogus that Vrabeck and Legendary are talking. With the experienced former currently jobless and the latter's coffers overflowing with Dark Knight lucre, it seems likely the pair would be receptive to each other's advances. Time will tell if anything comes of the negotiations.

34 Comments

  • starbead

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 8:30 pm PT

    jmaccini,

    I would argue the opposite point. A game that isn't story driven is possibly better for a film adaptation. It gives the filmmakers more freedom to develop a story designed for a movie instead of a video game. The biggest factor that a game can have in its favor if it wants to successfully transition to the bigscreen is a vividly realized game universe, not excellent storytelling. Len Wiseman is a competent director (not exactly an auteur, but no Uwe Boll or Michael Bay either), so the success of the film will hinge on whether they hire someone who can create a good movie story set in the GoW universe. A potentially bigger game movie is Bioshock. While the game did have a stronger story than GoW, its strongest selling point, in my opinion, was Rapture itself. With a director who is masterful with visuals (Gore Verbinski), the world of Rapture is a great setting for a film. Hopefully the story will be as strong as the visuals.

    Just as licensed games are often hamstrung by having to adhere to the strict guidelines of the license holder (who probably have other plans for the property or expect it to be treated with extreme reverence), a film based on a story driven game can suffer for the connection. If the film deviates too much from the game's story, then the fanbase is alienated and the movie will fail. But sticking to the game story doesn't work either. Even in the best story-driven games, the story was written for an interactive experience (and a longer one). Writing a script that is well-suited for the movies while preserving the story from a game is a Herculean task. Maybe someone will pull it off someday, but it will be the exception, not the rule.

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 6:50 pm PT

    cheapshot72493,thats a good point

  • cheapshot72493

    Posted Mar 2, 2009 8:36 pm PT

    there supposed to be makin movies for Kane and Lynch and Army of 2 as well so why not gears

  • DEATH775

    Posted Feb 28, 2009 3:38 pm PT

    I'm looking forward to this.

  • jmaccini

    Posted Feb 27, 2009 9:45 am PT

    The funny thing is... The original Gears of War barely even had a story... It was like Left4Dead how it just threw you into the middle of a war with no real explanation. The second one tried a little harder to implement more of a story but still a movie? Aren't there better games to make movies out of?

  • RonTorque

    Posted Feb 26, 2009 1:29 pm PT

    Gears Movie and Len in the Director's seat as well as Legendary's participation is going to be some thing else.

  • akiwak

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 5:33 pm PT

    Len Wiseman did an ok job with Underworld and an awesome job with Die Hard. Lets hope he does an awesome job with Gears....

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 12:22 pm PT

    Typical Gamespot. There's nothing wrong with an Independent studio being bought out by a corp like MS. Look at how Lionhead have prospered since their move from indepedence, with Fable 2 an excellent game and more excellence on the way no doubt. Fable 2 is greatly > than Fable 1.

    Although i'm interested in what Legendary will do, they're great, 300 was just SPARTA!

  • siefier25

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 11:39 am PT

    conan6980, thats not entirely accurate.

    Lets take wing commander for instance. Chris Roberts not only Directed a theatrical version of Wing Commander, a game franchise he created, but helped write the script. He had some creative control and was happy with the movie. It was a complete pile of dog ****. It was nothing like the games except for having the same character names, ships, and bad guys. That was it. The story changed almost completely.

    Cliffy B being apart of this means nothing. We'll have to wait and see for the first trailer.

  • conan6980

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 8:33 am PT

    I think the fact that Cliff Bleszinski is set to be executive-producer says a lot; being how he had such an important role in making the game what it is. He should lend the background and knowledge base to make the movie very relative to the game, unlike many movie adaptations where the director takes his "creative liberty" making the movie barely recognizable to the game fan. Can anyone say Resident Evil?

  • Duvendor

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 7:33 am PT

    "Beastcake"- Bruce willis will be Marcus Fenix and Terry Crew (Everybody hates Chris) will be Cole "Train".

  • mr0806

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 6:48 am PT

    only time will tell...

  • TheWhitedevil43

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 4:18 am PT

    oh yes this shall be good.....real good i hope lol or epic is gonna have to deal with real chainsaw wielding fans going after them =P

  • ottumatic

    Posted Feb 25, 2009 3:25 am PT

    In case you don't know, Legendary Pictures is also handling Warcraft's movie adaptation.

  • burn6

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 9:47 pm PT

    now that is epic.

  • rohit9891

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 9:13 pm PT

    finally there might actually be a good movie made out of the game...
    hope it does well

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 8:02 pm PT

    This may be good in the end.....we will have to see

  • Merl57

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 7:41 pm PT

    PATCH THE GAME thats all I care about FIXING IT 100% of their effort should be there

  • msudude211

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 6:18 pm PT

    This could be good...

  • nickythenewt21

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 6:15 pm PT

    I think a 300-style Gears of War movie would be pretty sweet.

  • Lord_Bafford

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 6:00 pm PT

    Well atleast Epic will be getting away from Midway....

  • denicola_a_god

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:59 pm PT

    live action would be sickk though

  • superchink

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:59 pm PT

    I hope this is not going to be another Doom(ed!) game movie

  • TWiSTEDmerc

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:29 pm PT

    They've got the director, and producer right, pen in the writer of GEARs 2 and as long as they keep it animated, it has a good chance at working. Why keep it animated, its easier to connect with characters that appear familair to you, since gears has always been animated, it would be the superior choice.

  • stickiey

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:15 pm PT

    Phazon Killer: They made a book about all that called Aspho Fields. It's a prequel/gears 1 - - gears 2 gap filler.

  • volcomstoner180

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:09 pm PT

    legendary has a tought task with the gears movie...i wish them luck and hope that the movie doesnt suck

  • Phazon_Killer

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 4:22 pm PT

    hopefully they do events prior to gears of war 1 cuz i wanna see how marcus and da crew actually made it into the cog and also E-day and pendelum wars

  • okassar

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 4:18 pm PT

    I really hope this movie turns out sick--Legendary Pictures doesn't go wrong often,let's hope it overcomes the "game movies suck" stereotype...or current reality I shall say,lol.This movie better have a loooot of blood,no restraint--imagine a full blown and graphic chainsodomy scene--ooooommmmggggg))))

  • Telekenesis123

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 4:12 pm PT

    Hmm, they have a strong technology background in their movies so maybe they will actually "get it", I would still rather have them independent though.

  • zallo

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    I actually trust gears movie in there more than capable hands

  • shadowlord123

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 3:39 pm PT

    uh, i think its way too soon for a Gears of war movie...wait until gears3 has past and then make it.

  • I1yodsyo1I

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 3:01 pm PT

    meh. Video game movies suck, and GoW is no exception.

  • Beastcake

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 2:46 pm PT

    Who will be Marcus Fenix???

  • gunswordfist

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 2:35 pm PT

    Len Wisemen's directing Gears O War?!!!

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