Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Hollywood appears ready to move forward with an adaptation of the third-person shooter game Gears of War, with Scott Stuber on board to produce and guide the film through production.
Why am I being such a naysayer about a Gears of War movie? Probably because we first wrote about the possibility of a Gears adaptation back in 2007, with follow ups in 2008, 2010 and 2012 … all of which managed to go nowhere.
This time might be different. At least, we hope. Variety says that Stuber has a first-look deal with Universal, though no studio has committed to the Gears of War movie at the moment.
Stuber’s credits in recent years include broad comedies like Seth MacFarlane's Ted and action thrillers like Safe House with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. He could be the right mentor for a Gears of War movie. The plot, if it follows the game, would center on the troops of Delta Squad, who are battling a subterranean race known as the Locust Horde as they try to evacuate the last few citizens from the planet of Sera. The original game spawned two sequels. All together, they have sold more than 18 million copies … so you can see why Hollywood would be interested in trying to tap into that fanbase.
At the same time, movies based on video games have a very hard time succeeding. For every Tomb Raider, there’s a Doom, Silent Hill or Prince of Persia serving as a caution flag warning producers, writers and actors from trying to service a dedicated army of gamers. Will this one work? We’ll track it as it develops, but the gears on Gears of War appear to be turning once again.
