Chalk another one off. A planned big screen adaptation of "Metal Gear Solid" is dead before it even got rolling. Okay, maybe it isn't technically dead. But it's definitely comatose and on life support.
The news comes from producer Michael De Luca, courtesy of an interview with Collider. The words he uses to explain the stalled project are noteworthy, as they speak to a larger problem that's been evidenced in previous attempts to bridge the game and film industries. "I don’t think it’s going to move forward because I got the sense that there may not be enough of a coordinated will at this point on the side of certain parties to see a movie get made," De Luva said.
While he doesn't target anyone specific, the implication is pretty clear: video game rights-holders, Konami in this specific case, have some very particular ideas about how they want their properties treated. There's a certain amount of sense to that too, given Hollywood's not-so-stellar handling of the interactive medium in the past (see also: "Super Mario Bros," "House of the Dead"). And before you say that De Luca could be talking about any cog in the machine, not necessarily Konami, read on for his clarification.
"[T]he video game companies are very protective of their property and there are certain things a studio requires freedom-wise to market and distribute a movie effectively in a global marketplace and sometimes getting those two things to match up is really hard. And in the case of 'Metal Gear Solid,' the agendas just….not because the parties weren’t amicable, it was just kind of impossible to get the agendas to match up."
It's a tough argument to choose a side on. On the one hand, video game rights-holders are justifiably protective of their ideas, given the history of video game-to-film adapatations. If you're "Metal Gear" creator Hideo Kojima, you want to ensure that your artistic vision is properly serviced. Kojima bears all the classic markings of a film auteur, something there's a lot of in the video game industry. The process of creating a game is certainly a group effort, but the core ideas behind the biggest titles in the industry generally boil down to an individual or a small group.
On the other hand, Hollywood faces the challenge of corralling a sprawling set of ideas, plot points introduced over tens of hours if not more, into a two hour running time. All while making sure it appeals to as wide an audience as possible. "Metal Gear Solid" is actually a great example, as it is a series notorious for its use of extended cutscenes and serpentine storylines. The most attentive and hardcore fans are hard-pressed to pick up on every key bit of information during a single playthrough... it's no wonder this process has been slow.
I imagine that this is one of those "irresistible forces meets an immovable object" scenarios. Konami, Kojima and their people have a very particular idea about how an adaptation should play. De Luca and his people appreciate that, but also understand that there's a need to service a wider audience.
Do you think we'll ever see a "Metal Gear Solid" movie? Do you think these problems are restricted to this project, or is this indicative of a larger issue between the two industries?
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