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Hollywood Now Wants to Make a 'Dead Island' Zombie Movie, Too
by Alex Billington
February 18, 2011
Source: The Wrap, Deadline
Well that didn't take long. Yesterday morning we featured a highly-buzzed-about trailer for the upcoming video game Dead Island, as it's a heartbreaking and beautiful teaser trailer for an otherwise savage and bloody-looking video game. As you probably expected, Hollywood got wind and the rights to a movie have already been snatched up. The Wrap and Deadline report that Hollywood is now buzzing about making a movie based on the game. Producer Sean Daniel and Union Entertainment already bought the rights last year and now given the viral success of that trailer, they're potentially sitting on a big Hollywood goldmine.
Sean Daniel (of The Mummy series, Dark Blue, The Wolfman), along with Richard Liebowitz and producer Dmitri Johnson, have been tracking the game's development for several years and acquired the rights early. But thanks to the success of that trailer, "studios and agencies are all over them, suggesting talent packages and story lines to try and make a screen deal" that will likely come together in the next week. The film is supposedly going to follow a Memento-like storyline even though the game doesn't, according to Deadline, and Union is currently working on the screenplay as well. The video game is about a family on vacation at an island paradise when a contagious zombie outbreak hits. They're cut off from the rest of the world and have to protect the other survivors and somehow escape without any guns, only the weapons found around there.
Dead Island was developed by Techland and will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC later this year. If you haven't seen the trailer - watch it here! Any chance this movie might turn out good?
Update: Not so fast! Deep Silver, publisher of Dead Island, has released an official statement claiming "neither the film rights nor any other licenses have yet been sold by Deep Silver." So someone thinks they've got the rights when they really don't. But Deep Silver is aware of the buzz and still want to sell it. "[We are] currently looking through a vast amount of inquiries." They also speak, importantly, about the quality. "We want to do it the right way as film realizations of games (or vice versa) usually fail to deliver what the fans were looking for. We will not go down this route with Dead Island," says Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media. "We would therefore be honored to work with someone who already has a proven track record with blockbuster movies." I think that might've been a bit of a jab at Mr. Daniel & Mr. Johnson above. Ouch!
20 Comments
1
Meh! Trailer is good, but it's getting too much hype for it's own good. Actual game might be terribad. Especially when it was suppose to come out in 08.
パトリツク ♬ Rip on Feb 19, 2011
3
Well it got a lot more buzz when Geoff from Achievement Hunter was unable to watch more than 20 seconds of the video.
Anonymous on Feb 19, 2011
4
Wow really Hollywood? So basically it hasnthe game title but it has nothing to do with it? What a failure.
Villaabimael_88 on Feb 19, 2011
5
oh for gods sake. at least get the bloody game published first!
Steve Zombi on Feb 19, 2011
6
Steve, the way things get developed in Hollywood, the movie's going to take time, if it ever gets made at all. So methinks the game will come out first. No need to go into apoplectic shock....
Marc McKenzie on Feb 19, 2011
7
Director John Carpenter, Family Kurt Russel, Toni Colette and Chloe Moretz
Loser on Feb 19, 2011
8
That's a great big "fuck no" for Chloe, friend. Everyone else sounds great.
Cracky on Feb 19, 2011
9
Here comes director Owe Boll to make his 23rd bomb that will suck to high heaven. Starring Pauly Shore, Julia Roberts, Snooki, Keaunu Reeves, and Kevin Costner.
Yadda on Feb 19, 2011
10
Ha, thats no joke. Throw in Ice Cube and the cast is set. Trailer was good...doubt the movie will be. "Its all about the Benjamin's..."
Quazzimotto on Feb 19, 2011
11
Zombies on an island? Uwe has already made that film in 'House of the Dead'.
Chris on Feb 19, 2011
12
I've never seen a successful movie based on a video game, but whatever.
Shannon on Feb 19, 2011
13
Not even Tomb Raider?
Lamar on Feb 20, 2011
14
I bet this trailer is going to be alot better than the movie ever will be
Tester on Feb 19, 2011
15
Could be delicious.
Cracky on Feb 19, 2011
16
I feel like we should leave the magic that the trailer has alone. I would hate to see it lose it's impact by having a bad movie made. With that said, I love zombie movies, and if the creative team behind the trailer could formulate a story that would make us feel the same emotions as the trailer, then I say go for it. But I doubt that's possible.
Jace on Feb 19, 2011
17
LMFAO!!!!!! First of all the trailer (I loved by the way) was like taking apage right out of the J.J.Abrams playbook. It looked exactly like the ending of every episode of LOST (which is a good thing). If it gets donJ.J. should have a crack at it. Just my 2 cents. Now...you guys should stop hating and realize the potential. So what it bombs...it got made and all because of a trailer. Not to say this will get made, seeing as how World War Z is supposed to be happening and The Walking Dead is shooting season two. Hollywood needs to tread lightly on this zombie craze. What am I saying go for it H-Town!
esophus on Feb 19, 2011
18
ehhh contrary to what many believe, the eye pan zoom out is not a JJ Abram sig, it's appeared in Lost episodes yeah, but actually in a minority of them. People are just overremembering (?) the amount of times it's happened lol.
Daniel Vu Tran on Feb 20, 2011
19
on another note fun black mamba short, ad, http://teaser-trailer.com/thats-awesome-black-mamba/
Loser on Feb 20, 2011
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