In Hollywood, video games are the new superheroes
When she first saw the email, Nadia Thorne thought it was a prank, or maybe a student project. A Hollywood production company wanted to turn her video game into a movie?
Thorne was one of the four people behind “Dredge,” an independently produced game that blends serene fishing with cosmic horror. Although “Dredge” received rave reviews when it came out in March 2023, it wasn’t the type of highprofile property that might typically draw audiences to cinemas.
But the requests kept coming, not from clueless amateurs but from the companies behind blockbusters like “Harry Potter” and “Star Trek.” A few months later, Thorne and her team struck a deal with Story Kitchen, founded by the producers of “Sonic the Hedgehog,” to make a feature film based on “Dredge.”
“They seem to think it’s going to go ahead,” Thorne said. “Apparently all the major studios are excited.”
Moviegoers have begun to tire of superheroes after a deluge of comic book films. Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said in mid-May that the company would cut the number of Marvel films and TV show it releases a year in half, to about two of each. Hollywood, meanwhile, is looking to the video game industry as the next fertile ground for story ideas. Spurred by hits such as “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” dozens of video game franchises have been optioned or produced for film and television over the last two years, from “God of War” to “Grounded.”
Many of these adaptations are still in development, but the ones released have found success. Amazon.com Inc.’s recent “Fallout” series, based on the post-apocalyptic games, has reached 65 million viewers, while the first two “Sonic the Hedgehog” films have grossed more than $700 million, with a third entry slated for later this year. It’s a two-way street: Sarah Bond, president of Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox division, said at the Bloomberg Technology Summit on May 9 that the “Fallout” TV show is leading viewers to engage with the games.
Hungry producers have gobbled up the options to both mega-franchises and hit indie games, such as “Dredge” and the detective role-playing game “Disco Elysium.” Even games with little to no name recognition have tantalized Hollywood, such as the ancient Sega