So many video game adaptations are tailored toward older audience members who want to see if Doom, Tomb Raider or Prince of Persia will translate properly to the big screen. Sure, we get the occasional Super Mario Bros. movie, but no one really wants to talk about that. Instead, audiences likely will want to get psyched up for Ratchet and Clank, which Variety says is heading to theaters in early 2015.
Rainmaker Entertainment, which was behind this year’s Escape from Planet Earth, will team with Blockade Entertainment to produce the movie, which will be based on the widely popular 2002 game. Jericca Cleland will direct the film, while T.J. Fixman will pen the script. The animated film will be released in 3D. The trade says that vocal talent from the game will participate in the movie, including James A. Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward, who provide the voices of Ratchet, Clank and Qwark. Along with the news, the site posted this announcement teaser for the film.
In the game, the titular heroes team to stop the evil Chairman Drek from overtaking every planet in the Solana Galaxy. The most recent installment in the series, Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault, arrived in stores in 2012. Variety says the series has sold a reported 26 million copies worldwide.
Said Blockade CEO Brad Foxhoven in a statement, “Ratchet and Clank is a world-renowned video game franchise that appeals to a broad audience. By working closely with SCEA and Insomniac, we will remain true to the game’s expansive mythology while also creating a story that will capture the imagination of those who will be new to this incredible world.”
That includes me. I’ve never played a game of Rachet and Clank, so I don’t understand the appeal just yet. But I know that family entertainment is thriving at the box office these days, and if an animated movie can help launch a potential franchise to entertain kids and families, I’m on board. Do you play Ratchet and Clank? Do you think it will make for a good movie? Fill us in below.
