If you keep up with CB’s brilliantly comprehensive gaming section then you know that a game called Mass Effect 2 hits streets next week, and it’s a big deal. We recently celebrated it’s impending release by bringing you the game’s impressive launch trailer. If you’ve watched it, then you’re probably not surprised to hear that someone out there in Hollywood is talking about turning Mass Effect into a movie.
A few hours ago MTV spoke with BioWare’s Casey Hudson, their project director on the most recent Mass Effect game. Casey wasn’t shy about teasing talk of turning his franchise into a movie. He says, “We have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about Mass Effect.” Of course what he doesn’t say is who it is that’s interested or how serious that interest is. He could literally mean anything from Steven Spielberg is currently in negotiations with BioWare for a three picture deal to Tom Green is planning a direct-to-DVD parody. Obviously, you should hope for Spielberg.
Back in 2008 we told you here that Marvel's Avi Arad optioned the rights to the game. Does he still have them? Hudson's comments make it sound as though it's back on the open market.
Should there be significant interest from someone who matters, you’ll be happy to know that BioWare is saying all the right things about how this will happen. Hudson insists, “The most important thing for us is, we don't just want to see a movie get made. We want to see a great movie get made, if it's going to get done at all.” That sounds a lot like what the folks at Bungie said back when Halo was the hot game and Hollywood wanted a piece of their action. And where’s that Halo movie? Yep, still dead.
So what’s this Mass Effect thing about? It’s a science fiction gaming franchise set in a future where humanity has entered an era of space travel. It follows one Commander Shepherd, who does the usual hero thing and saves the Universe.
I’m not sure that synopsis did it justice. You’re probably better off just watching the game trailer. Here it is:
