Sony buys pitch adaptation of Sony PlayStation 3 game “Infamous” from screenwriter Sheldon Turner:
“inFamous” was just released in May, to positive response from fans and critics alike. The game tells the story of Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger who is at ground zero when a catastrophic explosion leaves the fictional Empire City in a state of ruin and lawlessness. MacGrath, who mysteriously survives a blast that leaves a massive crater in the middle of the city, quickly learns that he also possesses a range of electricity-based superpowers.
The story unfolds as players work their way across the city, restoring power to underground substations and picking up new abilities in the process. MacGrath is constantly hounded by the various gangs populating the city, some of them also newly empowered with superhuman abilities. The game also features a fairly black & white morality mechanic, allowing players to develop MacGrath as a heroic savior or a villainous sociopath. Something tells me that the Sony Pictures flick will portray him in the former role.
“What excited me most about the game was it was the first of which I’ve come across that had a big idea and a character arc,” Turner told The Hollywood Reporter. “It is, I believe, the future of gaming. The game, while big and fun, is at its core a love ballad to the underachiever, which is what our hero, Cole McGrath, is.”
Deal is for a reported seven figures.
Turner is repped by CAA.
We’ll feature a video interview with Turner this weekend.
"Big idea" + character arc = bingo
I'm definitely always interested with videogame-movie adaptations. I personally play a lot of video games. I heard ladies love it when a guy plays a lot of video games, so thats why keep playin.. hehe.
Most games have a storyline already with-in, but writers will often stray so far from that it feels like they haven't even completed 1 level of the game. Only adaptations i've liked were Resident Evil(1st one) and Silent Hill. I've watched almost all these adaptations, even the Uwe Boll ones. And they all bomb horribly, it definitely inspires me to eventually be one to write these adaptations (and write them well). But until then they just come across as ridiculous jokes for movies.