Since 2002, fans young and old have enjoyed following the epic journey of lovable rapscallions Ratchet and Clank in video game form. Now, those same fans will be able to follow the intergalactic heroes on the big screen in epic form as Ratchet & Clank is headed to theaters via a fully animated feature film due to release next year. A trailer for the film hit the internets this week.
Judging by the trailer, this movie looks like it stands to be a ton of fun in the similar vein of Disney's The Incredibles or How To Train Your Dragon. The footage is full of Ratchet & Clank's trademark blend of humor and action, which stands to reach a wide audience.
The Ratchet & Clank movie will reportedly be an origin story that retells how the pair met each other as they set out to save the Solana Galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek, who traverses the universe in order to claim parts of other planets as his own so that his people, the Blarg, can rebuild a society that has been destroyed thanks to their own pollution. The film is also rumored to feature plot points and characters from later games in the series, including Doctor Nefarious and the Galactic Rangers.
The film will feature voice actors from the video game series reprising their respective roles, and they'll be joined by Hollywood stars Paul Giamatti as Chairman Drek, John Goodman as Ratchet’s mechanic mentor Grimroth, Rosario Dawson as Elaris of the Galactic Rangers, and Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone as Victor Von Ion, Drek’s villainous lieutenant.
The film is being directed by Arthur Christmas and Finding Nemo cinematographer Jericca Cleland, who also served as layout supervisor in the animations department that worked on Toy Story 2, and Kevin Munroe, who wrote and directed the 2007 animated feature adaptation TMNT. Insomniac Games, creators and publishers of the video game series, are heavily involved in every aspect of the film’s production, from character development to animation, with Insomniac's T.J. Fixman as screenwriter.
The Ratchet & Clank video game series launched in 2002 for the Playstation 2 console and has since spawned numerous sequels, many with playful titles such as 2004’s Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, 2007’s Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty, and 2012’s Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault.
A re-imagining of the first video game is set for launch to coincide with the release of the film, which is expected in theaters April 29, 2016.
