Game Maker to Put Product on Big Screen
May 9, 2006
For years, Hollywood has talked about the supposed convergence of films and video games. And for years, the primary results have been low-budget movies based on games, and uninspired games based on films.
On Tuesday, Blizzard Entertainment, a leading game developer, hopes to reverse that trend as it plans to announces a deal with Legendary Pictures, a major Warner Brothers affiliate, to make a big-budget "Lord of the Rings"-style live-action film based on Blizzard’s wildly popular Warcraft series.
The Warcraft franchise began with a relatively simple real-time strategy game in 1994, but the latest installment, the online role-playing game World of Warcraft, has become the most successful video game in the world. World of Warcraft now has more than six million paying subscribers and is on track to generate more than $1 billion in subscription revenue this year.
Tuesday’s announcement would come as the video game industry descends on Los Angeles for its top annual convention, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Later this week, Blizzard is expected to announce details about an expansion pack for World of Warcraft, called the Burning Crusade.
Many details of the film deal remained unsettled or undisclosed on Monday, including the choice of director, cast, the planned release date and the exact budget (rarely a firm number in the movie business anyway). But Blizzard and Legendary appeared united in wanting the project to be a major departure from Hollywood’s undistinguished record in turning games into films.
Formed last year with $500 million in financing from a consortium of Wall Street investors, Legendary signed a deal with Warner Brothers to co-produce and jointly finance at least 25 films over five years. Legendary’s first film, "Batman Begins," directed by Christopher Nolan, was released last year to mostly favorable reviews. Other Legendary projects include the coming "Superman Returns" and M. Night Shyamalan’s "Lady in the Water."
via NYT.
