Tag: PlayStation Productions

Sony Developing Feature Films Based On Sci-Fi Video Games 'Horizon Zero Dawn' & 'Helldivers'
Posted on in Film News, News

Sony Developing Movies Based On Sci-Fi Video Games ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ & ‘Helldivers’

Sony Pictures is still licking its wounds after releasing three Sonyverse movies last year with “Madame Web” and “Kraven The Hunter” being huge misfires. Those “Spider-Man spinoffs” saw some of the worst box office takes for modern Marvel Comics adjacent films (not made by Marvel Studios proper) and lost them plenty of cash. While the studio brass like Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra had blamed critics and press for audiences running for the hills, it looks like they’re now pivoting to synergy releases mining the PlayStation IP after things like the Tom Holland-led “Uncharted” (after ages being stuck in development-hell) and HBO’s “The Last of Us” have been successful in different ways.

It’s now 2025, and PlayStation Productions is looking to continue their partnership with Sony Pictures with feature film adaptations of both “Horizon Zero Dawn” and the mature shoot-em-up “Helldivers,” the former video game had been previously developed as a streaming series at Netflix but that was nixed over the summer (Sony maybe finally understanding they shouldn’t be selling off their video game properties to others). That announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, yesterday, by PlayStation Productions chief Asad Qizilbash (via Variety).

“Horizon” focuses on a sci-fi fantasy primal world inhabited by robots that act/look like animals and “Helldrivers” is essentially space marines versus aliens, taking most of its cues from the likes of “Starship Troopers.”

We’re still waiting for some updates on who is going to be writing and directing those two video game adaptations.

You might have seen other big PlayStation Productions projects in the works including a feature film of “Ghost of Tsushima” from director Chad Stahelski (“John Wick”), a high-profile streaming series at Amazon based on the recent “God of War” games set within their own version of Norse mythology, a live-action feature based on the “Metal Gear Solid” franchise has been in the works for a while, another Hideo Kojima game “Death Stranding” is at A24, and a sequel to “Uncharted” at Sony Pictures as well being in the scripting phase.

This new announcement seems to illustrate Sony’s potential pivot to adapting their own in-house video game properties from the PlayStation stable after multiple hiccups in trying to flesh out the “Spider-Man” comic book lore with movies focused on obscure/villianous characters.

SOURCE: PLAYSTATION PRODUCTIONS VIA VARIETY

Posted on in Television News

Antony Mackie Joins Live-Action ‘Twisted Metal’ Series From ‘Deadpool’ Screenwriters

PlayStation Productions is a newly formed production company meant to bring various Sony PlayStation IP/characters to film and television incarnations. One of those upcoming projects is a live-action television series based on the classic video game Twisted Metal, from Sony Pictures Television.

Deadline reports that Marvel Studios alumni Anthony Mackie (Altered Carbon, Black Mirror) has nabbed the lead role of John Doe in the series. Mackie recently became the new Captain America by the end of the Disney+ series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, with the expectation he’ll reprise the superhero role in Captain America 4.

The project is based on a new take from Rhett Reese and Paul Wenrick (Deadpool) that will be written by Michael Jordan Smith (Cobra Kai), all three will executive produce.

Twisted Metal is a high-octane action comedy based on an original take by Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.

Doe is a smart-ass milkman who talks as fast as he drives. With no memory of his past, he gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his wish of finding community come true, but only if he can survive an onslaught of savage vehicular combat.

Other PlayStation properties getting live-action adaptations includes an Uncharted movies led by Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, an HBO series version of The Last of Us, and a feature film based on Ghost of Tsushima from John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in News

Sony CEO Yoshida Kenichiro Says Sony Pictures Isn’t For Sale

Every couple of months film and business trades run speculative interviews with analysts or “activist investors” claiming that Sony Pictures is poised for a big sale to places like Apple, Amazon, or Netflix. None of this is anything but opinion dressed-up as an editorial/interview, instead of based on concrete information or reporting. It usually comes after a shift in the industry like the Walt Disney Company acquiring 21st Century Fox or when telecoms company AT&T got their hands on a media giant like Time-Warner.

After the WarnerMedia-Discovery and Amazon-MGM deals being announced this month, it seems like we should prepare for another run of wild claims and speculation that Sony Pictures is next to be sold-off.

However, that doesn’t seem to be case, according to the person that actually runs the company. There is now a real statement coming from Sony CEO Yoshida Kenichiro while speaking with the Financial Times (via The Hollywood Reporter), Kenichiro says that while they’re open to partner with streaming services they’re not going to sell the film division.

KENICHIRO: “There is drastic realignment in the media industry, but I think our strategy of creating content as an independent studio while working with various partners will work.” 

It’s worth mentioning that Sony did strike deals with Netflix and Disney recently, but that has to do with post-theatrical window streaming rights of feature films and they’ve been working towards a television deal with Amazon that includes the Spider-Man spinoff series Silk. These deals will expand their presence in the streaming space, far from an actual acquisition. One of the big reasons for moves like this is that Sony doesn’t have their own streaming service, so, licensing their content to multiple suitors isn’t that surprising as the media landscape changes.

The Hollywood Reporter also added a comment from Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Tony Vinciquerra from the investor day presentation, where he sounded confident that the shows and films in development based on the PlayStation IP will continue the momentum as they have at least ten projects in the pipeline. Those PlayStation projects include Tom Holland’s Uncharted film, an HBO series based on The Last of Us, and a Ghost of Tsushima movie from John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski.

VINCIQUERRA: “The PlayStation project has tremendous momentum with the establishment of PlayStation productions and ten projects already in development.”

They also have a string of their own Marvel films such as J.C. Chandor’s Kraven The Hunter, Olivia Wilde’s Spider-Woman, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Jared Leto’s vampire flick Morbius. Sony Japan was behind the pressure on the film division to make a deal with Marvel Studios/Disney that led to Tom Holland appearing as Spider-Man in solo films made by Marvel and appearing in their other films as well.

Having a corner of the Marvel Comics rights and developing multiple projects based on their popular PlayStation video game franchises could keep them competitive for the foreseeable future. Franchises like Bad Boys and Jumanji seem to be audience draws the studio can rely on beyond Spider-Man projects.

SOURCE: THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Posted on in Film News

‘Ghost of Tsushima’: Sony Hires ‘John Wick’ Franchise Director Chad Stahelski To Make A Feature Film

Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are moving forward with a feature film based on their samurai action-focused video game Ghost of Tsushima and there is word from Deadline that they’ve selected John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski to make it.

The game is developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and centers around samurai warrior Jin Sakai, the last surviving member of his clan, who must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a warrior to wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.

In 1274, a Mongolian invasion fleet led by Khotun Khan lands on the Japanese island of Tsushima. Realizing that he cannot defeat the Mongols by himself or with traditional samurai fighting tactics, Jin begins scouring the island to recruit allies and learn fighting techniques to aid in his quest to rescue Lord Shimura.

A screenwriter or idea when production would begin wasn’t mention in the report.

There is an expectation that we’ll see an Asian only cast given the setting and era.

However, given the violence involved with the samurai genre, it’s unknown if they’ll be aiming to make this an R-rated project. There is a good chance that with Chad directing that Sony might allow this to become a mature film project.

Chad is set to begin production on John Wick: Chapter 4 this June and has been developing multiple action projects including a Highlander reboot for Lionsgate.

Sony is hoping to mine a bulk of their video game IPs with an Uncharted film starring Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg on the way. Along with an HBO series adaptation of The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) as Joel.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed their new God of War games taking place in Norse mythology get a string of R-rated movies too.

SOURCE: DEADLINE