Any Sega game for a movie adaptation

After a rocky start with a Sonic redesign that would become notorious, Sega’s surprise success followed Sonic the Hedgehog Film franchises struck not once, but twice. The hedgehog’s hasty adventure in the human world grossed a respectable $306 million, and its second foray topped that, at $402 million. Now it looks like Sega will get even more ambitious with its features, continuing the trend towards “really good” video game movies that arguably started in 2019 Detective Pikachu.

Here are all upcoming video game adaptations announced by Sega:

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Of course, the third supplement to the Sonic the Hedgehog Universe. The film, slated for December 20, 2024, will bang into the same ring as the other blue-humanoid sequel – Avatar: The Way of Water.

While the first film featured the supersonic hero Dr. Robotnik escape and in the second a duel with the muscular Echidna Knuckles for the Chaos Emeralds, the premise of the third film remains a mystery – the introduction of his 2006 human love? His brief stint as a lycanthrope? If the leaks believe it will be the emergence of fan favorites Shadow, Metal Sonic, Amy and Big. Whether Paramount can continue to outdo itself with its big budget iterations of the property remains to be seen until then.

Regardless, we could be poised for a long line of media for Sega’s flagship gaming franchise with the Knuckles spinoff Netflix series – starring none other than Idris Elba.

Read: Every major video game adaptation in the works at Netflix

persona

That persona Franchise spans a range of titles – mostly RPGs, but also fighting and rhythm games. The series centers on diverse groups of teenagers struggling to balance their high school lives while battling extradimensional manifestations of those around them with their own supernatural alter egos. These are universally accepted premises that bring a supernatural edge to youth — and have found their place in numerous film and television media outlets over the years.

Toru Nakahara, Sega’s director of entertainment productions for film and television, highlighted the potential for an adaptation in an interview with IGN, citing the game’s narrative worlds as being “filled with high drama, innovative style, and compelling characters.” The series has also received several anime adaptations in the past, showing us that the game’s story definitely goes beyond the scope of its games.

Other traits of Sega daughter Atlus also appear to be fair game, paving the way for demon-catching ancestors persona – Shin Megami Tensei, and psychological puzzler Catherine find their way onto the big screen.

Read: Persona, other Atlus games flagged for live-action TV and film adaptations

comix zone

In collaboration with Picturestart, the studio responsible for the border areas Movie In 2022 “Zone” will be released – an adaptation of comix zonea side-scrolling beat ’em up from 1995.

The game’s big-screen incarnation, according to The Hollywood Reporter, follows “a jaded comics creator and a young, queer black writer” as they are transported into the former’s world of comics and must overcome their differences in order to stop the supervillain’s plans movie

The potential for a “buddy-cop” dynamic between the two is already clear, and their journey of “hilarious exploration.”[ing] the ever-evolving art of storytelling itself’ opens up the possibility for some unique visual effects that match the original game’s speech bubble comic book look.

space channel 5

The second adaptation of Picturestart, space channel 5 is rumored to be a dance and comedy film based on the ’60s-style rhythm game of the same name. The games take place from the perspective of a 25th-century news reporter of the same name space channel 5 – Simultaneously fend off an alien invasion and compete with rival reporters while reporting the news to the beat of music.

The film’s apparent premise of a “hapless fast-food worker” whose help is enlisted by a freedom reporter to spontaneously dance his way through an alien invasion may be a story more at home today than it was then space channel 5 was first published in 1999.

Read: Days Gone, Comix Zone, Space Channel 5 for cinemas

shinobi

Hack and Slash series shinobi marks the first of Sega’s older feature-length exploits, the production of which was first discussed in 2016. While the original 1987 game had a loose premise of foiling the machinations of the criminal organization Zeed, later installments introduced increasing fantasy elements into the ninja-based action of the series.

Although not much has been revealed about it shinobi, producer Marc Platt has been confirmed for the project. Platt has an interesting oeuvre – work on la la country and Scott pilgrim vs the worldas well as theatrical productions Evil and Fat Live. The producer expressed his desire to “make a film that honors the essence of the games,” but his experience could also lead Shinobi to strike a relatively over-the-top tone – more like its spin-off sequel, shadow warrior.

Hire a hero

Longer in the pipeline are projects from Stories International – a company formed through a collaboration between Sega and Japanese advertising agency Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Because of its unique foundation, Stories International has exclusive access to a number of Sega properties to adapt for film and television.

Hire a hero is an ARPG from 1991 – unique for its RPG encounters played as fighting game sequences. The game begins with the protagonist Taro Yamada being given high-performance combat armor in place of his pizza – which can only be assumed to be an honest mistake by the world’s most inept pizza delivery gun maker. Realizing he has to pay for the suit, Taro takes part in an escalating series of jobs for the people of his town.

The inherent comedy of the game appears to be part of the film’s production – since its last announcement, the project has had director Steve Pink at the helm, known for the Whirlpool time machine movies. The film’s contemporary setting, described by Tomoya Suzuki, CEO of Stories International, features: “a reluctant slacker genius who joins a high-tech startup dubbed ‘Uber for Heroes’ with the goal of… improve people’s daily lives at an affordable price.” The plot takes a turn when “corporate insiders plan to weaponize the technology, the slacker and his fellow Rent A Heroes must team up to stop it.”

The easy-going Everyman-turned-hero-making-a-living reminiscent of the story of manga series such as One punch man and perhaps it’s no coincidence that its anime adaptation was released a year earlier Hire a hero got introduced.

streets of anger

On the more western side of the criminal storylines is streets of anger – a side-scroller beat ’em up whose first game was released in 1991. streets of anger tells the age-old tale of grizzled law enforcement against a criminal syndicate, albeit with relatively more violence, featuring roadside objects and, if the original US cover is to be believed, lots of pained expressions while posing in the air in tight pants.

Current information points sound Producer dj2 Entertainment and Escape Artists as behind streets of anger Adaptation, with a screenplay by Derek Kolstad – the mastermind behind it John Wick and No one – Creating the setting for the film to convey a dark and visceral feel with tightly packed action choreography and sequences.

Altered Beast

Speaking of cover art, a personal favorite of mine – 1988 Altered Beast, another beat ’em up, this time set in mythological Greece. Ever since I caught a glimpse of the game’s beautiful box art and promotional images showing a corpse ogre throwing his own face at the player, Altered Beast cemented a place in my memory, although I can’t tell how much my tastes match those of the average moviegoer.

Depending on whether you played the English or the Japanese version of the game, the game’s premise took two different paths. In the former, you play as a soldier brought back from the dead with supernatural abilities to fulfill the commands of the god in charge – à la Marvel moon knight. In the latter, players take the place of a previously imprisoned and blasphemous beast warrior, unleashed only to serve the ends of Zeus.

While unlikely the wilder elements of Altered Beast make it to theaters, including (spoilers!) the game’s final reveal that it took place in its entirety on a film set, I can only hope for a crazier or more grotesque exploration of Circle of Confusion – Executive Producers to the Walking Dead and studio responsible for the adaptation.

Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, House of the Dead and Virtua Fighter

Next to Altered BeastStories International’s statement in 2014 also announced plans for Crazy Taxi Golden Axe house of death, and Virtual Fighter be translated into film.

During the forthcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among ThievesNetflix resident Evil, and Tekken: bloodline set precedents for the last three, a Crazy cab film breaks new ground for video game movies – a rental version of the ruthless driving cinematography of movies like baby driver and the Fast & Furious Franchise.

However, who can say how far Sega will push the limits with its diverse range of properties that have yet to be adjusted.