The Gears of War video games series is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, having released (soon-to-be) five console installments, as well as a number of books, comic books and even a board game. Its movie adaptation, on the other hand, has spent almost that same amount of time stuck in development hell, with the last big update on the project coming three years ago. However, it's just been reported that the Gears of War movie is back up and running, this time with Universal Pictures at the helm.
During a live stream presentation of the upcoming game Gears of War 4, which hits shelves next week, it was announced that producers Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark are developing the Gears of War movie for Universal. However, neither no writer nor director have been hired yet, nor has a released date been penciled in. There's also no word yet on whether the movie will directly adapt the storyline from the third-person-shooter games or give moviegoers an original story, but here's what Rod Fergusson, studio head of the series' game developer The Coalition, said to Variety about taking the property to the big screen:
I think you have to let the movies be the movies. They're two different mediums, and two different audiences in some cases, and I think some video game movies in the past have failed because they tried to make a movie for gamers. If you have this great IP with a deep backstory and lots of lore that you can make interesting stories out of it's great, but if you just go after the gaming audience then it isn't going to be a successful movie.
For those who aren't familiar with the Gears of War series, the games take place similar to Earth called Sera, where humanity is at war with creatures known as the Locust Horde that emerged from underground after an alternative energy source called Imulsion. All the games have received mostly positive reviews, and eventually became the best-selling franchise for Xbox One.
Both Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark have experience tackling blockbuster projects as producers. The former's credits include Ted 2, Central Intelligence and Free State of Jones, while the latter's credits include Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Oblivion and The Heat. Along with Gears of War, the two are also working on the upcoming Patriots Day together. Under their supervision, maybe the Gears of War movie will finally catch a break and start making meaningful progress. That said, we'd advise staying cautious, because as mentioned earlier, this adaptation has been lingering for a long time, so it's possible something might force the brakes to hit this time around. Plus, if past video game movies are any indication, Gears of War will have an uphill battle crafting a compelling story that will appeal to both longtime fans and causal parties.
Stay tuned to Cinema Blend for all the relevant details surrounding the Gears of War movie as more news comes in.
