House of the Dead movie adaptation announced, will be directed by Monster Hunter producer
Sega has announced a new film adaptation of its arcade shooter franchise House of the Dead, with Paul WS Anderson, producer of 2020's Monster Hunter, set to direct and write the movie.
The details:
As reported by Deadline, Anderson will direct, write, and produce the film, with longtime collaborator Jeremy Bolt joining the project as a producer. The two previously collaborated on several Resident Evil films, Monster Hunter, and 1995's Mortal Kombat. Production is scheduled to begin in mid to late 2025.
Toru Nakahara, who helped produce the Sonic the Hedgehog films, will also be involved in the production. Dmitri M Johnson, Mike Goldberg, and Dan Jevons of Story Kitchen have also joined as producers, with Timothy I. Stevenson as executive producer.
Speaking with Deadline, Anderson stated that he has "always loved" the series since discovering it in arcades during his youth alongside Mortal Kombat. He also revealed that the film will be based on the third game, in which the character Lisa Rogan attempts to rescue her father, AMS agent Thomas Rogan.
In terms of how the film will adapt the on-rails shooter IP for the big screen, Anderson says the goal is to "reflect what this hyper-immersive, kinetic video game is," describing it as a "full-on terror ride." “It's different than what we did with Resident Evil, where there were lots of traps and puzzles and things to be figured out,” the director explained. “House of the Dead is at heart a light rail shooter game, so it drags you straight into the middle of the action."
According to Deadline, Sega has been extremely protective of its IPs when it comes to film production, especially House of the Dead. According to Nakahara, the success of the Sonic movies has "changed the dynamic toward our transmedia policies" and the company is "actively developing a lot of productions" as part of its plans to expand the Sega brand.
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