Films have long been grist for the gaming mill, from ET for the Atari 2600 to Enter the Matrix for Xbox. But until recently, these movie-based titles were mostly tie-ins and spinoffs. Now big-name directors - David Fincher, John Singleton, Ridley Scott, and David Lynch - are taking their ideas straight to videogame.
Why ditch the director's chair for the developer's cubicle? It can be liberating. "You don't have to shoot it, which is terrific," says horror legend George Romero. "You don't have to worry about a camera crew; you don't have to worry about actors." Hollywood is also realizing that games can be incredibly lucrative on their own. Creative Artists Agency, United Talent Agency, and William Morris Agency all have game representation now. Action maestro John Woo has founded his own game studio, Tiger Hill Entertainment, and has five titles now in development. Here's a look at some of the projects in the warp pipeline.
Film Directors Who've Gone to Gaming
John Singleton
Signature Film: Boyz N the Hood
Game: Fear & Respect, Midway Games (winter 2005)
Premise: During a hot summer in South Central Los Angeles, the player joins a "crew" and tries to build a street rep.
Generation Nintendo: "I've always wanted to be a filmmaker, but it's natural for me to do game design as well because I grew up with games in my home. I've gone from console to console throughout the history of gaming."
George A. Romero
Signature Films: Night of the Living Dead and sequels
Game: untitled project, Hip Interactive (spring 2006)
Premise: The game will feature "zombies and other scary things."
Terror and Interactivity: "In the horror genre, your big reward is standing in the back of the theater and watching everybody jump. With a game, you can literally involve the audience, make them a part of the story. I think about that a lot."
John McTiernan
Signature Film: Die Hard
Game: untitled project, Ubisoft Entertainment (2006)
Premise: A heist caper game mixing action and stealth, set in contemporary Moscow.
Games Are Like Action Movies: "The hero is not the protagonist in action movies, he's the antagonist. The villain wants to change the world, and the hero just tries to stop him. And that's exactly how videogames are - they move forward based on your reactions to the villain's actions."
Bryan Singer
Signature Film: X-Men
Game: Secret Service, Tigon Studios (2007)
Premise: A tactical adventure game based on the life of a Secret Service agent who has been assigned to the president's detail.
Games Are Like Action Figures: "I think games today are what merchandising was after the first Star Wars film - a chance for filmmakers and studios (and fans) to further control the destiny of their favorite characters."
John Woo
Signature Film: The Killer
Game: ShadowClan, Tiger Hill Entertainment (fall 2006)
Premise: Rival gangs battle for control of New York City in this modern-day ninja tale.
Payback: Woo got into games when they started swiping from his films - slo-mo gunplay has become an entire game genre.
Two-Way Street: "Story and visual style have become important to games, and working with technology also gives me new ideas to bring to filmmaking."
- John Gaudiosi
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Straight to Videogame
