MAMA Director Andrés Muschietti Will Helm Sony's SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS

Deadline has word that Argentine director Andrés Muschietti (Mama) has been hired by Sony to helm their video game film Shadow of The Colossus. The film has a script from Hanna writer Seth Lochhead and will be produced by Mama producer/co-writer Barbara Muschietti. The game synopsis is as follows.

The protagonist of the original action-adventure game is a young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place.

Josh Trank was originally set to direct but left when he was called-up to direct Fox's Fantastic Four reboot and an untitled Star Wars film for Disney. Andrés was once attached to direct The Mummy remake for Universal, but eventually left that project.



SOURCE: DEADLINE

WB Moving Forward With Ruben Fleischer's SPY HUNTER And Gets A New Writer

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is moving forward with development on their adaptation of video game Spy Hunter. They've hired Carter Blanchard to write the script with Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) attached to direct. Ruben's last two films 30 Minutes Or Less and Gangster Squad bombed so it's likely the studio will be keeping an eye on it's production. Dwayne Johnson has been linked for the lead but it's unknown if he'll end up in the role. He'll be busy this Summer with Hercules and eventually Fast And Furious 7, it's possible he could join other projects during that time as well.

PORTAL And HALF-LIFE Movies Being Co-Produced By J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot

J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot is gearing up for a stake in the video game film genre. As Valve and Bad Robot announced (via Wired) a partnership that will lead to live-action Portal and Half-Life films. No word on when this will happen but it sounds like the material is in good hands. Bad Robot is currently producing franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Mission Impossible. I wouldn't be shocked to see Paramount biding for distribution.

Scott Derrickson Will Write And Direct DEUS EX

Deadline is reporting that Sinister director Scott Derrickson has signed on to direct a live-action film based on the Deus Ex video game franchise. CBS Films has also tasked Derrickson along with his Sinister co-writer Robert Cargill to put a script together. The setting is the near future, when dramatic advances in human augmentation have triggered a technological renaissance. The protagonist, an ex-SWAT security specialist named Adam Jensen, must embrace mechanical augments in order to unravel a global conspiracy.

Roger Avary's CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN Back On Track?

A few years back it was being reported that Oscar winning screenwriter Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Rules of Attraction) was working on a live-action Castle Wolfenstein (video game franchise) film. Roger had legal troubles which led to a prison sentence. According to ThePlaylist, Wolfenstein which Avary will write/direct is being shopped around the American Film Market. It's been tagged as being in the vein of Captain America: The First Avenger and Inglourious Basterds which seems ideal.

The story follows a young US Army Captain and a British Special Agent on a top secret mission to Castle Wolfenstein, where Hitler will be for the unveiling of a new secret weapon. After reaching the Castle, our heroes are confronted by Himmler's SS Paranormal Division and must fight, not only for their survival, but for a mission that could alter the course of the War.

Josh Trank Directing 'SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS' For Sony

Deadline reports that Chronicle director Josh Trank has signed on to helm an adaptation of Shadow of The Colossus for Sony Pictures. The project is based on the Sony video game which Trank had been a fan of. Josh is also currently attached to the Spider-Man spin-off Venom, The Red Star (based on a graphic novel) and a reboot of Fantastic Four. Fox's Tom Rothman recently confirmed Trank's early involvement with new Fantastic Four film. I assume Fox will be eager to move into production on the heels of Avengers.

"A young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place. These are skyscraper-sized giants that rise from the ground, fly through the air and come from the water. As the young man works through his quest on horseback, he begins to wonder if he is on a noble pursuit to bring back his lover, or perhaps has made a deal with the devil and is being used."

Brian Taylor To Direct Twisted Metal For Sony

Deadline reports that Sony is developing a Twisted Metal movie based on the classic 90's video game. The extreme version of an underground demolition derby was somewhat inspired by Roger Corman's Death Race but had it's own original racers. The face of the series is Sweet Tooth, a psychotic clown that drives an Ice Cream truck armed to the teeth. Brian Taylor one half of the directing duo Neveldine/Taylor has been hired to write and direct the film. It will be the first feature film that Brian will do without his partner Mark Neveldine. The pair will still work together on Crank 3 and possibly Ghost Rider 3, if the new film does well at the box office.

Taylor's credits are impressive when compared to other action films considering the rather small budgets he's given to work with. Brian is first and foremost a genre centric director and his films reflect that. Not to mention he makes these rather action packed films with very little money. His directing credits include Crank, Gamer, Crank II: High Voltage and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Brian's writing credits include a majority of the films he directed. He also co-wrote the underrated medical thriller Pathology and an adaptation of the DC Comics character Jonah Hex. The latter had the duo set to direct but dropped out and their script was bastardized leading to one of the worst films of 2010 .