If you're one of the many people who have been enjoying "Dead Space 2" in the past week, you've probably had the thought cross your mind at one moment or another that it would make a great sci-fi/horror movie. The game's creepy atmosphere, abundance of jump scares and overly convoluted narrative make it perfect fodder for a genre film. You're not alone in this thinking; Ian Milham, the game's co-creator, is actively thinking about it right now.
"We would love to have a live action film and we've had a lot of discussion," Milham said in an interview with BBC's Newsbeat. "But one of the reasons Dead Space still exists and is popular is because we've made sure to do everything right. So we're doing the same with the film, not just a cheap cash-in but... something really worthwhile."
You see what he did there, right? "The film." Not "A" film. The. It's a reality. And frankly, it just makes good sense. Games don't always have an obvious translation for film, but there are a few -- "Dead Space" being one of them -- that feel as if they could be pulled right off of the game disc and thrown onto a big screen.
Which doesn't mean I'm advocating for a straight adaptation. These sorts of endeavors always work best when different stories are being told in different mediums. Look at the "Riddick" series, the success of "Batman: Arkham Asylum" even the monolithic "Star Wars" franchise. The best examples in the gaming world build on what's previously established on the source. Moving a game into a film should be no different. It's not always going to succeed (see: "Super Mario Bros."), but it remains the best proven recipe for success.
I say hand the scripting duties to Andrew Kevin Walker ("Se7en") and the director's chair to James Wan ("Saw") and see what kind of magic happens there.