We haven’t heard too much about the progress of turning the ultra-popular video game Gears of War into a major motion picture since hearing that Len Wiseman would be the man directing the project. Recently, Making Of had the chance to have a little chat with producer Wyck Godfrey, who was able to share a tiny little bit of information on where the film may be heading, including a decision which could make or break the project before it even begins.
Godfrey explained that they were working with Wiseman and that they had spoken with the gentlemen over at Epic Games who developed the series. It would appear that their big hurdle right now is whether they should jump right into the madness that we saw in the games, or if it would be better for them to do something of an origins story and show what things were like before the war with the Locust began.
The hard part is how to make it into something that doesn’t feel like a world torn asunder and people just in battle. I think we really want to focus on the idea of a world that’s running well, and then it’s Emergence Day and kind of make it impactful and immediate and the survival of those 48 hours as people survive Emergence Day. It’s more like ‘Cloverfield’ or something like that. Because trying to tell the epic story of an alien planet that’s living in a horrific environment just feels like the wrong mood right now.
This would be a very heavy object balancing on a thin line, if you ask me. If they want to do origins, it simply can not take a large part of the film to push through. A quick little setup — maybe half-hour of a two-hour film — before they get down to business. Anything more would be dangerous.
No one wants a large amount of character build-up in a Gears of War movie, but at the same time, it’s not the worst idea to show pre-chaos and maybe even take the opportunity to set up the Dom storyline — which is the only real personal storyline that they can use and manufacture some emotions through. But let’s get something straight: if they want emotion, it better be on a small scale. Too much would definitely take away from what Gears is all about, and that’s sawin’ Locusts in half! However, I will admit that I enjoyed the Dom story that played out in the sequel, and would like to see it as part of the film.
The main concern is still in director Wiseman. His resume includes semi-popular films like Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Live Free or Die Hard. For some, this gives him the credentials to handle a Gears of War movie, but for someone like me who was never impressed by the Underworlds, loathed Live Free or Die Hard, and loves the Gears games, I’m truly worried about what’s going to happen here. But until we get a little peek, it’s just time to stay optimistic and hope for the best.
What do you think? Is an origins story a waste of time, or can it be utilized effectively?
[Source: via MTV]
