Posted Thu Aug 22, 2013 at 08:30 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
Ubisoft adds to its line-up of games to movies.
While fans await the upcoming release of 'Watch Dogs,' there is no doubt that the property has been a fascinating one since its introduction last year. Even as some fans have been dismayed to see that Ubisoft is ready to make 'Watch Dogs' a franchise, the property appears to have legs, and that possible mobility has Ubisoft thinking a 'Watch Dogs' movie.
From Ubisfot, "Watch Dogs centers on Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker bent on revenge and inflicting his own brand of justice after a violent family tragedy. Using all of his skills, Pearce hacks into Chicago’s Central Operating System (ctOS), which controls the city’s infrastructure, including security cameras, traffic lights, and public transportation, as well as databases containing key information on the city’s residents. In the game, Pearce turns the entire city of Chicago into his ultimate weapon.
And who better to team up with Ubisoft on this game trailer turned movie project? None other than Sony's Columbia Pictures. From Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet, "Since both Sony and Ubisoft have movie and video game branches, this deal creates exceptional opportunities for us to merge the realms of the story-based cinematic experience with the interaction of the video game. In addition, Sony Pictures and New Regency have deep production expertise and are letting us maintain a strong creative voice in the film’s development. Together, we’re confident we can deliver a movie that builds upon the excitement that the game is already generating."
One the Sony side, the talk is big, and typical of video game to movie adaptations that do not necessarily ever make it into production. From Columbia Pictures president Hannah Minghella, "The themes and open gameplay of 'Watch Dogs' lends itself perfectly to the big screen. The game has intense action and adventure, but the story focuses on information and the control of information, which we think will lead to an exciting thriller. It has tremendous potential as a motion picture and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with Ubisoft's internal creative team on the development of the project."
Ultimately, the project falls within Ubisoft's new venture to produce movies of several of its games, including 'Assassin's Creed' and 'Splinter Cell,' and until one of those projects makes it to theaters, fans can be forgiven for regarding Ubisoft with a large dose of skepticism.
Source: Ubisoft
Author: Brian Hoss
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