Most Wanted Film Adaptations

The influence of Aliens on modern video games cannot be overstated. The character archetypes, technologies, and environments depicted in Aliens have been used as the foundation for countless action video games. Metroid, Contra, and Gears of War have all lifted elements from Aliens. The references to Aliens in the Halo series are too numerous to mention in detail, but Bungie has admitted to being inspired by the film. James Cameron would obviously be a perfect fit to direct the film. The characters in Halo are similar to those seen in typical James Cameron films, so it would be a natural fit for him to write and direct a Halo movie. On a technical level, there are few individuals more qualified to direct large-scale action scenes. Halo is Microsoft’s biggest gaming franchise, and teaming up with a director of James Cameron’s caliber would add legitimacy to the movie and all-but guarantee that it would be a hit. When you think of sci-fi/action movies, you think of James Cameron.

Movies like Babe and Happy Feet speak to George Miller’s versatility as a writer and director, but I’d envision a Double Dragon movie to be more in the line of the Mad Max films. Mad Max: Fury Road is possibly the most exhilarating action movie I’ve ever seen. It almost plays like an extended two-hour-long action scene that lasts for the entire duration of the movie. Double Dragon is fairly light on story elements, so a faithful film adaptation would have to be focused almost entirely on action as well. I think George Miller’s style would lend itself well to Double Dragon. I can imagine the Lee brothers using all sorts of makeshift weapons throughout the course of the film, much in the same way that they use barrels, chains, and lead pipes in the game. A whip-wielding villainess like Linda would feel right at home in the movie, and seeing the monstrous Abobo making a grand entrance by busting through a wall like the Kool-Aid man would be a perfect fit as well. Double Dragon had a film adaptation in 1994, but it’s best to pretend that movie never existed.

The Wachowskis are best-known for the Matrix trilogy, and The Matrix still stands as one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time. That being said, the reason why I’d like to see the Wachowskis work on a Mega Man game actually has more to do with their work on Speed Racer. The movie was completely misunderstood by most critics and didn’t perform well in the box office, but it perfectly captured the spirit of anime. With Speed Racer, the Wachowskis took great care to honor the original source material, and it’s arguably the best live-action version of an anime ever released. Mega Man is a franchise that is clearly inspired by anime, and I think the Wachowskis would be the perfect candidates to capture the whacky characters and frenetic action that the series is known for. They would be faithful to the source material and could be counted on to produce over-the-top action scenes.

Final Fantasy has technically spawned multiple movies already, but they haven’t lived up to the potential that the series has. The Spirits Within was a technical milestone in 2001, but the story had no emotional weight. The decision to make a sci-fi move rather than focusing on the high fantasy elements that made the series famous in the first place was also perplexing. Advent Children was directly based on an existing Final Fantasy game, but the dialogue was horrible and the action scenes were exhausting. I’d love to see a Final Fantasy film adaptation that captures the true scope of the franchise. The Lord of the Rings was a large-scale epic with a fantasy setting, multifaceted characters, and numerous branching subplots. Given the parallels between Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings with respect to their underlying themes, Peter Jackson would be the perfect candidate to direct a film based on the popular gaming franchise. Everything from the casting to the special effects to the wardrobe would be given the necessary attention by Jackson and his team. I’ll concede that the Hobbit movies were disappointing, but Peter Jackson was not entirely responsible for the debacle. I’d love to see him back in form with a Final Fantasy film.

It’s no secret that the Metroid series was heavily inspired by the Alien franchise. There are basically two directions you could take a Metroid movie. You could choose to make a movie centered around themes of isolation, similar to the first Alien movie. The other option would be to make an all-out action movie along the lines of Aliens. James Cameron would be the obvious choice of a director if you were pursuing the latter option, but I’d prefer a movie that focuses more on solitude. The character of Samas Aran is more compelling when she’s a lone heroine in a desolate environment, and Ridley Scott would be the perfect director to capture this on film. Ridley Scott is brilliant at setting up establishing shots, and he would be able to capture the stoic nature of Samus’ character perfectly. Samus Aran has potential to be the most iconic film heroine this side of Ellen Ripley.

The retro-futuristic setting in Fallout was heavily inspired by the culture of 1950s America. The hopes and fears that the country held following the second World War are both encapsulated and parodied in the series. Fallout‘s post-apocalyptic world could be described as a cross between Mad Max and The Jetsons. In other words, it’s a vision of how the world would have turned out if all the 1950s predictions for the future (both good and bad) held true. On one hand you have amazing advances in technology. On the other hand, you have nuclear warfare and radioactive everything. Fallout could be classified as a science fiction franchise, but it’s a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If any director could grasp the irreverent humor and offbeat characters that the series is known for, it’s Edgar Wright. Movies like Shaun of the Dead illustrate Wright’s unconventional approach to common themes while Scott Pilgrim proved that he is capable of making a film that embraces the absurdity of an existing property without making fun of it.

A large scale, live action Zelda movie could be great under the right circumstances, but I think Studio Ghibli would be best suited to take on the project. The incredible artwork in Castle in the Sky, for example, is more in line with the Zelda franchise than any live action movie I’ve seen. Studio Ghibli films typically focus on the struggle between good and evil, and Zelda would be a good fit for their style. Studio Ghibli films also tend to put a strong emphasis on environmental themes, and the beautiful backdrops in their films are often as important as the characters themselves. If you’re trying to recreate a fantastical world like Hyrule, you’d want someone at the helm that understands the importance of nature. No animation studio has a better track record than Studio Ghibli. Every single one of their movies has been amazing in one way or another. Their batting 1.000 at this point, which is something that not even Pixar can say.

Between Blade and Hellboy, it should be pretty obvious that Guillermo del Toro has a fascination with vampires, demons, and all things supernatural. Pacific Rim was a science fiction monster film, while The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth could be classified as gothic horror movies. Del Toro’s work is characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, religious iconography, and a celebration of imperfection. The dark themes he explores are typically infused with visual or poetic beauty. Castlevania is exactly the kind of game that I’d imagine Del Toro would be drawn to. It’s a perfect fit for his style, and he already has a proven track record of adapting existing properties to the big screen without dropping the ball. Del Toro could likely capture the dark fantasy world of Castlevania in a manner that would be easily digestible for mainstream audiences. Sadly, after the Silent Hills fiasco, it’s unlikely that Del Toro would ever work with Konami again.

Someone at Disney deserves to be shot for the 1993 adaptation of Super Mario Bros. The dark industrial setting was the complete opposite of what the video games were known for, the dystopian version of the Mushroom Kingdom completely missed the mark, and the depiction of the Goombas was straight-up nightmare fuel. Disney has learned a lot since 1993, and the philosophies of Pixar Studios would be an especially great fit for a new Mario film. A Pixar Mario would be bright and colorful, the characters would be appealing, and the story would be something that everyone could relate to. Pixar would be a great fit to handle the movie because the company shares a similar mission statement with Nintendo. Pixar movies – like Nintendo games – appeal to audiences of all ages. Mario has a universal appeal which transcends the gaming world, and nobody would do a better job of capturing this appeal than Pixar.

EarthBound eschewed common RPG tropes by adopting a real-world setting and emphasizing Americana and Western culture. No film director better exemplifies Americana than Steven Spielberg, and EarthBound seems tailor-made for his sensibilities. Who better to direct a story that involves aliens, dinosaurs, and a group of suburban children going on grand adventures? Anyone who grew up watching films like E.T. or The Goonies was likely reminded of these movies while playing EarthBound. From playful movies like Hook to heavy films like A.I., Spielberg has an earned reputation for consistently getting great performances from child actors. He has often been described as the biggest kid of them all, and his movies remind everyone of what it was like to be younger. Steven Spielberg is the one director in the world I would trust to capture the lightheartedness and charming nature of EarthBound.