When talking about casting struggles for video game movies, most minds will probably veer towards the thought of casting Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie. Gamer’s have come to love Nolan North’s portrayal of Drake in the games, but it is easy to see why he wouldn’t be the ideal choice for a live action Nathan Drake. He has the voice, obviously, but he doesn’t have the look nor does he have the star power a movie like this would need to make money. However, by choosing an established actor, with the likes of Nathan Fillion and Mark Wahlberg being at the forefront; fans will have to deal with a completely different portrayal of the character. Either way, fans will unfortunately be losing out on one aspect or another, and that puts most video game movies at an immediate setback.
[promo title=”Why Can’t They Succeed?” button=”” url=”http://” icon=”none” target=”_self” style=”” class=””][/promo]
Having looked at both the past and future of video game movies, it is clear that there is lingering potential in the industry, that has thus far failed to manifest itself. This potential still exists, as I mentioned above, but anyone and everyone involved in the process of making these movies has to tread cautiously; or else their movie will end up in the ever-growing graveyard of previous adaptations.
Arguably one of the biggest reasons for the failure to succeed so far, is that it creates an uneasy relationship between two separate industries. While both are made for entertainment and story-telling purposes, video games and movies achieve this in very different ways. Many people love movies because they take you on a linear road towards an inevitable conclusions. Video games, however, often allow you to choose your own path, or if not, at least your own actions in the process.
The Prince of Persia movie was lacking in strong similarities to the games.
A second element of this is the ways in which stories are told in the two industries. Video game stories, as you might imagine, are carefully crafted to succeed in a video game environment. Whether it’s cutscenes integrated with gameplay, just ask Naughty Dog about that; or a continual story being told over frantic gameplay, such as the experience offered by Call of Duty; video game stories are very different to those of their big-screen counterparts. While it can be enjoyable to see your favorite games in movie form, it can also be argued that it is therefore no longer the game, but a separate entity with the same name. Prince of Persia is a prime example of this, as the movie shared little else with it’s console counterpart.
While it’s hard to tell whether or not video game movies will ever overcome these obstacles, it is clear that the potential is there. All we can do, as fans, is sit back and wait to see what happens.
What are your thoughts? Have there been any video game movies you’ve particularly liked or disliked? Are you excited for future adaptations? Let us know in the comments below.