Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood making next-gen consoles' day

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When Electronic Arts first announced it was making a game adaptation of The Godfather last March, many game-loving film aficionados wondered what other 1970s movie classics would be coming soon to a console near them.

One of the leading candidates was Dirty Harry, the hard-boiled 1971 crime thriller that saw Clint Eastwood create the iconic character of loose-cannon police detective Harry Callahan. Given Callahan's propensity for meting out justice on San Francisco's streets with a .44 magnum, the film seemed ripe for fodder for a free-roaming, rogue-cop game a la True Crime: Streets of L.A. So ripe, in fact, that rumors began to fly that the newly reestablished Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was already at work on an adaptation.

As it turns out, they were. Today, WBIE announced it will indeed produce video games based on the Dirty Harry film franchise, introducing the legendary character "'Dirty Harry' Callahan to the interactive world for the first time," according to the company. No developer was named in connection with the project.

While the Dirty Harry announcement was exciting in and of itself, it also delivered two headline-grabbing aftershocks. First, the game will ship for "next-generation consoles." No specific platforms were mentioned, nor was a release date, which would indicate whether or not it will be available for the next Xbox (likely due later this year) or the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo "Revolution" (both expected next year).

Second, and almost more surprising, was the revelation that Eastwood himself will lend his likeness and voice to the Dirty Harry game. In fact, not only will the 75-year-old 2004 Oscar nominee (for producing, directing, and starring in Million Dollar Baby) appear in the game, but also he'll produce it through his Malpaso Productions company.

"This will be an opportunity to satisfy the many requests over the years to continue the Dirty Harry legacy, only now in the video game medium," said Eastwood. "Creating Dirty Harry video games will also introduce this memorable film character to new generations on a medium they appreciate."

GameSpot will have more details on the Dirty Harry game as they become available.