Even though gamers hate them, studios love them, meaning at least five more video game movies are slated for 2009 -- hello, "Street Fighter"! -- though the amount directed by Uwe Boll will be far fewer.
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"Alone in the Dark II"
Release Date: 2009
Starring: Rick Yune as Edward Carnby, Rachel Specter as Natalie, Lance Henriksen as Abner Lundberg, Bill Moseley as Dexter
Director: Peter Scheerer, Michael Roesch.
Trailer: N/A
Synopsis: There's not much that we know about the "Alone in the Dark" sequel, even though it's finished filming and will be released later this year. The main character is still Edward Carnby and he's hunting down the supernatural. This time, the enemy is renegade witch Elizabeth Dexter. Other than that? Well, Uwe Boll isn't directing. That's a start.
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"BloodRayne III: Warhammer"
Release Date: 2009
Starring: TBA
Director: Uwe Boll
Trailer: N/A
Synopsis: All that's known about the third "BloodRayne" movie is that Uwe Boll will be directing and both actresses who have played Rayne, Kristanna Loken and Natassia Malthe, are interested in reprising the role. The latest sequel, like the last, is a prequel, but set during World War II. The original "BloodRayne" video game had Rayne fighting Nazis, too.
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"Clock Tower"
Release Date: TBA; filming started December 2008
Starring: Brittany Snow
Director: Martin Weisz
Trailer: N/A
Synopsis: "Clock Tower" follows a woman tossed into a mental institution for believing in a family curse, but her psychiatrist believes her. The two team up to battle this generational evil, including the infamous scissor man, and somehow end the curse. Reports suggest "Clock Tower" is only loosely based on the video game, but it does retain the villain. Who remembers the story behind "Clock Tower," anyway?
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"Far Cry"
Release Date: 2009
Starring: Til Schweiger as Jack Carver, Emmanuelle Vaugier as Valerie Constatine, Udo Kier as Dr. Krieger
Director: Uwe Boll
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/30630.html
Synopsis: There wasn't much of a story to "Far Cry" to begin with, but Boll is keeping some of the plot in tact. Former military man Jack Carver is escorting journalist Valerie Cardinal to a secret island to investigate a military complex when he shipwrecks and Cardinal is kidnapped. Carver runs into the -- obviously! -- evil Dr. Krieger, who is using the island for genetic experiments gone wild. Of course, he has to save the day.
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"Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li"
Release Date: February 29
Starring: Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li, Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Chris Klein as Charlie Nash, Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, Taboo as Vega, Robin Shou as Gen
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Trailer: http://street-fighter-trailer.blogspot.com/
Synopsis: The latest "Street Fighter" flick ignores the series' most iconic characters, Ryu and Ken, and focuses on the origin and journey of Chun-Li. A number of other "Street Fighter" characters show up along the way, including mastermind M. Bison, but the movie's screenwriter has confirmed Ryu and Ken are not part of this "Street Fighter."
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"Tekken"
Release Date: Fall
Starring: John Foo as Jin Kazama, Ian Anthony Dale as Kazuya Mishima, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Heihachi Mishima, Lateef Crowder as Eddy Gordo, Nathan Jones as Craig Marduk, Cung Le as Marshall Law, Luke Goss as Steve Fox and more.
Director: Dwight H. Little
Trailer: N/A
Synopsis: Not unlike the plot for the video games, the "Tekken" film centers on Jin Kazama struggling with the Devil Gene passed onto him by his father, Kazuya Mishima. In order to save himself, Jin must confront his father and his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, and survive The King of Iron Fist Tournament, sponsored by Heihachi.
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That might be it for 2009, but that's hardly the end of Hollywood's dipping into video games. If anything, 2010 could be the year when we see the marriage gain some respect, with more-than-competent directors like Gore Verbinski directing an adaptation of games like "BioShock." Here's a peek at what's slated to come in 2010 (and beyond) and who's already on board:
* BioShock (director Gore Verbinski, "Pirates of the Caribbean")
* Gears of War (director Len Wiseman, "Live Free or Die Hard")
* God of War (rumored director Brett Ratner, "X-Men: The Last Stand")
* Halo (producer Peter Jackson, "Lord of the Rings")
* Kane & Lynch (director Simon Crane, stunt coordinator on "Troy")
* Lost Planet (writer David Hayter, "X-Men")
* Mass Effect (optioned by Avi Arad, former Marvel CEO)
* Metal Gear Solid (producer Hideo Kojima, series creator)
* Onimusha (director Christophe Gans, "Silent Hill")
* Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (director Mike Newell, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire")
* The Sims (writer Brian Lynch, "Scary Movie 3")
* World of Warcraft (optioned by Legendary Pictures, "The Dark Knight")
What, if any, of these movies are you looking forward to?
[Photo Credit: Dread Central, Filmz.ru, IGN Movies]
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