Like the seemingly unending comic book movie craze, Hollywood loves to find a type of film that it can turn into the next big cultural touchstone. Over the years, we’ve seen movies based on video games attempt to reach that level, with varying levels of success. We’ve seen adaptations of games for decades, but, to be fair, a lot of these were awful adaptations. Many of them missed the point of the source material and were clumsily executed–although we’ll always have a soft spot for the 1994 Street Fighter movie–but lately, we’ve seen some big changes in this genre.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie took the world by storm when it was released, earning an obscene amount of cash at the box office, while the Uncharted and both Sonic the Hedgehog movies were also successful. With fresh new IPs to option, dozens of video game movies have been announced over the last couple of years, and while production is moving swiftly on several of them, many more appear to be trapped in the lowest levels of development hell.
We’re hopeful that we’ll see some progress on these long-in-development films, but until Hollywood says otherwise, here’s a deep dive into the video game movies that could be showing at your local cinema in the future. If there’s not an attached release date or it’s not a sequel, though, keep in mind these could also just never be made in the end.
Elden Ring
Release date: March 3, 2028
Not only is an Elden Ring movie officially in development at powerhouse distributor A24, but the project will be written and directed by Alex Garland of Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Civil War fame. Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin–who helped to develop the lore of the Elden Ring video game–is also involved as a producer on the movie project.
Scheduled to hit cinemas in 2027, the Elden Ring movie has also found its cast: Warfare’s Kit Connor has been confirmed to star in the film, and he’ll be joined by Ben Whislaw, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Jonathan Pryce, Ruby Cruz, John Hodgkinson, Jefferson Hall, Emma Laird, and Peter Serafinowicz.
With production underway, some leaks have emerged from the set, like a closer look at Queen Marika
Helldivers
Announced at CES 2025, Helldivers is one of two projects currently in development through Sony and its subsidiary, Columbia Pictures. Helldivers is essentially a spiritual successor to Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers film, and is set in a future where humanity worships freedom and the concept of managed democracy. The games have a cheeky sense of humor, and the studio behind them would love to see several A-list celebrities in the movie–provided that they’re killed off in hilariously over-the-top scenes.
The film project has also found its director in Justin Lin, who helmed several Fast and Furious movies. Originally scheduled to launch in November 2027, Sony recently pushed the movie back to June 2028.
Watch Dogs
More than 10 years after it was first announced, filming finally began on Watch Dogs in July, a series of open-world games published by Ubisoft and featuring hacktivist gameplay. Directed by Mathieu Turi (The Deep Dark), the film Tom Blyth and Sophia Wilde. Additional casting details or a release date have yet to be revealed.
Principal photography wrapped up in September, and the project is now in its post-production phase.
Gears of War
One of those video game movie adaptations that has been stuck in development hell for years, it looks like the next stab at making a live-action Gears of War film is happening at Netflix. The streaming giant has partnered with Gears of War developer The Coalition to not only make a big-budget movie, but also an animated series based on the series of games featuring burly soldiers waging war against the merciless forces of the Locust.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
With Sonic the Hedgehog 3 being massively profitable, another sequel was inevitable. Earlier this year, Paramount has announced that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be racing into theaters on March 19, 2027, but details are being kept under wraps for now.
El Paso, Elsewhere
First announced in 2024, the feature film adaptation of El Paso, Elsewhere is already lining up some big talent to potentially headline it. Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield was said to be in talks to star in and produce the movie alongside Di Bonaventura Pictures (Transformers), but since then, there has been nothing but radio silence on the project.
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Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding takes place in a fascinating universe, one where an extinction-level event has almost wiped out humanity and where being caught out in the rain is a painful death sentence. It’s also weird as hell, packed with some very recognizable Hollywood faces, and it has no shortage of material to explore. The feature film adaptation was announced back in 2022, and in December 2023, film and television company A24 officially revealed its partnership with Kojima Productions to bring Death Stranding to life… or Death.
Kojima has big plans for this IP, as not only is he involved in the production of the Death Stranding movie, but he’s also planning to create a Death Stranding film universe.
Death Stranding: Mosquito [Working title]
Not only is a live-action Death Stranding movie in development, so too is an “adult-targeted” animated movie. This one is still in the early stages of development, but what we do know so far is that Aaron Guzikowski–writer of the 2013 Denis Villeneuve movie Prisoners–will work on the screenplay and it’ll be tonally similar to both Predator: Killer of Killers and the upcoming John Wick animated prequel.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty has been one of the biggest video game franchises for decades now, and at long last, that blockbuster action is headed to the big screen. Paramount will develop, produce, and distribute a live-action feature film based on Call of Duty, and the film company says that it’s “committed to honoring the brand’s rich narrative and distinctive style” of this adaptation. It’s still early days for the project, but Paramount has recruited some of its best writers for the project, including Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.
Since then, we’ve also gotten confirmation that the film will be set in the Modern Warfare continuity, which focuses on contemporary storylines inspired by real-life conflicts and wars.
The Legend of Zelda
Release date: April 30, 2027
A live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way, and the co-production between Nintendo and Sony Pictures is scheduled to arrive on May 7, 2027. The movie has also found its lead actors, as Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason, and Link will be portrayed by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth.
The film will be directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner series and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), and the filmmaker says he wants to blend live-action with Hayao Miyazaki aesthetics so that the project feels realistic and fantastical.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long freakin’ time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be… I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires. I know it’s important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape,” Ball said in an interview.
A Minecraft Movie Squared
Release date: July 23, 2027
Scheduled to arrive in July 2027, A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess will return to helm the sequel.
Split Fiction
One of the best games of the year has only been out for a few months, and Hollywood is already looking to bring it to the big screen. Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney is currently set to star in it, with Jon M. Chu directing. Work has begun on a script, with Deadpool and Wolverine screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick working on it.
BioShock
Netflix announced a BioShock movie back in 2022, and while the project appears to be in limbo, and The Boys and Novacaine actor Jack Quaid recently said that he would “love” to be in it. Other than that tidbit of dream casting, details on the movie have been locked up tight, but a 2024 report did claim that budget cuts at Netflix had forced the movie project to be “reconfigured” into a smaller and more personal film.
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Just Cause
Just Cause, a series of open-world video games where character development takes a backseat to gloriously over-the-top explosions, is the perfect vehicle for a gratuitously violent popcorn blockbuster with a bloated pyrotechnics budget. It has been a long time since we’ve heard any news on the project, as in 2017, the film was set to be directed by Brad Peyton and would star Jason Momoa. Peyton eventually dropped out and was replaced by Michael Dowse (Stuber), but since then, there’s been nothing but radio silence on this project.
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Just Dance
While the heyday of dancing movies is long over, there might still be room for Ubisoft’s infectiously fun Just Dance series to shine on the silver screen. The only problem here is that after production company Screen Gems won the motion picture rights to Just Dance all the way in 2019, we’ve heard next to nothing on the status of this project.
Untitled Sonic Universe movie
Paramount announced a new Sonic-related movie project for release in theaters on December 22, 2028. Details on it have yet to be revealed, but the company is referring to it as a “Sonic Universe” movie.
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Martha is Dead
Don’t let the title fool you, because this isn’t a Batman prequel movie! Instead, Martha is Dead is a creepy thriller set against the backdrop of Italy during World War 2. As the twin sister of Martha, who was recently discovered drowned and dead in a lake, players had to navigate a tangled web of mystery as the Allied war machine edged closer to home. The game developer, LKA, has teamed up with UK publisher Wired Productions and Swedish film production company Studios Extraordinaires for this film project.
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Metal Gear Solid
Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s Metal Gear Solid project has been gestating for close to a decade now, and it looks increasingly likely that it’s stuck in development hell. Updates have been few and far between, with the last notable mention of the film being in 2022 when Oscar Isaac–who is attached to play Solid Snake–mentioned that the focus was on finding a good story to do the legendary game justice.
Bloodborne
A Bloodborne sequel might not ever see the light of day, but at least fans of From Software’s dark horror adventure can look forward to an animated feature film. Sony Pictures is set to release the film, and according to reports, the R-rated Bloodborne movie will remain “very true” to the bloody spirit of its source material.
YouTuber and gamer Seán McLoughlin–AKA JackSepticEye–is also on board as a producer, and he’s aiming to do justice to the cult-classic game.
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Pac-Man
We’ve had Pac-Man cartoon series, a starring role in a Futurama episode, and a villainous turn in an Adam Sandler film, and at long last, Bandai Namco’s pellet-chomping hero is ready for top billing. A live-action project based on an original idea from Sonic the Hedgehog movie producer Chuck Williams has been announced, but there have been no further details revealed yet on the potential cast, director, or a release date since the 2022 announcement.
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Pokemon: Detective Pikachu sequel
2019’s Detective Pikachu had a great box office run, sleuthing up an impressive $433 million worldwide. A sequel starring the gumshoe electric rat was a safe bet, but several years later, details on the sequel have been hard to come by. A representative for Legendary Entertainment said that the film is still “in active development,” but beyond that, details on this movie are scarcer than a shiny Pokemon in the wild.
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Poppy Playtime
We might be looking at a new boom in horror movies starring sadistic mascots after the success of Five Nights at Freddy’s, and you can add Poppy Playtime to that list. The original game is set in an abandoned toy factory inhabited by killer collectibles, and for the film adaptation, Studio71 is handling production duties. The studio is well-known for its work on the recent VHS horror movies, making this company a good fit for the unique terror of Poppy Playtime.
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Portal
It has been a long time since there has been any movement on Portal, Valve’s wonderfully challenging game of interdimensional puzzles, but producer JJ Abrams really wants you to know that the film project isn’t dead yet. Or at least, it was definitely still being worked on in 2021 when Abrams mentioned that a script was being written. Is the film cake a lie? Only time will tell.
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Rabbids
It was only a matter of time until the Minions of video games, Rabbids, were optioned for a film deal. Film production company Lionsgate landed the movie rights to Ubisoft’s Rabbids in 2019, but like several other video game movie projects, this appears to be another gaming IP stuck in development hell, much to the relief of parents across the world.
Outlast
An incredibly terrifying series of first-person survival-horror games, Outlast is coming to the big screen as part of a deal between Lionsgate and developer Red Barrels. Still at an early stage of development, writer JT Perry–who has worked on the stories for the games themselves–will be penning the screenplay.
OutRun
An adaptation of Sega’s classic racing game series is in development, and while details on it are slim, we do know that Michael Bay is attached to direct. The first game originally debuted in arcades in 1986 and was subsequently ported to Master System, Genesis, Saturn, and PC over the years, with several sequels following in its wake. The last entry in the series was OutRun Online Arcade, which was developed by Sumo Digital and was released in 2009.
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Saints Row
Another video game movie possibly stuck in development hell, there have been zero updates on the Saints Row project for several years now. At the time, writer Greg Russo said that his script was inspired by The Warriors and Escape from New York, and F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious) was set to direct it.
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Sifu
John Wick creator Derek Kolstad announced his plans to adapt the hard-hitting action game Sifu to the big screen in 2022, bringing the bone-crunching brutality of this martial arts epic to life. While the story of a martial arts prodigy out for revenge is fairly standard stuff in the genre, Sifu’s added twist is that the vengeance-driven protagonist is in possession of a magical talisman that can bring them back to life, but they’ll age after each use. Kolstad envisions the film as John Wick meets M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, which should make for an interesting action film if it ever gets greenlit.
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Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher is one of the most adorable games around–and one of the highest-rated on Steam–as the core pitch of wrangling cute blobs on a distant alien planet makes for some engaging fun. Not much is known about this project yet, but what we do know is that the story of young rancher Beatrix LeBeau is being adapted by Story Kitchen, a production company set up by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad.
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Space Channel 5
One of the defining games of the Sega Dreamcast, Space Channel 5 might sound like an obscure property to revive as a movie, but this wacky game has an equally weird pitch that could put butts in seats. The film version has been described as a mix of comedy and dance, all set to the story of a hapless fast-food worker who is recruited by a freedom reporter from the future to save the world from aliens. How? By using the power of viral dancing to save the day. So basically, TikTok: The Movie.
Space Invaders
Invaders! From space! New Line Cinema announced in 2019 that the classic Taito arcade game was headed to a movie screen near you, but several years later, it looks like those hostile extraterrestrials might have gotten stuck in a black hole on the way. Mortal Kombat writer Greg Russo was hired to write the script back then, but there’s been no word then about the status of this alien invasion project.
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Stray
Currently in development at Annapur(r)na Animation, Stray is another recent game destined for a silver screen debut in the future. The original game mixed stealth and post-apocalyptic vibes, but with the neat twist of controlling an orange tabby cat looking for a way back home. Along the way, the cat crosses paths with the flying drone B12, an ally who helps the furry creature escape a city of robots and parasites.
Street Fighter
Release date: October 16
After Talk to Me directors Duo Danny and Michael Philippou dropped out of making the Street Fighter movie, it looked like this project would remain stuck in development hell.
The good news is that production kicked off properly once Kitao Sakurai stepped into the role of director, and the film features a stacked cast of actors and professional wrestlers. Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, Noah Centineo, and David Dastmalchian are just some of the actors in the massive cast, and so far, it looks like the Street Fighter movie is an unapologetic love letter to Capcom’s revered fighting game franchise.
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Streets of Rage
Yet another project with a John Wick link to it, Sega’s rough-and-tough Streets of Rage adaptation is once again a film that Derek Kolstad is involved with. An action-packed staple of the ’90s, Streets of Rage was successfully revived several years ago for a fourth outing, and a new game in the series is on the way as part of Sega’s new initiative to flex some retro muscles.
Talking Tom
If there’s one thing that Hollywood has proven over the years, it’s that anything can be a movie–even a collection of mobile apps featuring anthropomorphic animals talking back to you. The jury is still out on whether a good Talking Tom movie is possible, and to make things even weirder, this live-action project from Outfit7 has recruited Assassin’s Creed producer Jean-Julien Baronnet to help it make the leap from mobile to big screen. Baronnet is also the producer of the Rabbids Invasion television series, so this looks like a good fit.
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Bendy and the Ink Machine
What if Walt Disney ditched Mickey Mouse for blood-curdling horror? You’d have Bendy and the Ink Machine, a delightfully macabre send-up of classic animation full of devious puzzles to solve. With Five Nights at Freddy proving to be a huge hit at the box office, horror games are quickly being optioned by studios and this adaptation will be handled by Radar Pictures, the company behind the Jumanji reboots. Beyond that, not much else is known about the project other than Bendy creator Paul Crawford’s pledge to make a “quality” film that honors the source material.
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Comix Zone
Comix Zone, a game for which advertisements were plastered over pretty much every Marvel and DC comic book in 1995, is another retro game property coming to the big screen eventually, maybe. First announced in 2022 and described as a loose adaptation of the game–which was inspired in turn by comic books of the era–the film will follow “a jaded comic book creator and a writer who find themselves sucked into the final issue of his popular series and must fight their way out of the printed pages to stop a supervillain hellbent on destruction”. Written by Mae Catt (Young Justice), the film is also aiming to explore the power of storytelling.
Clair Obscura: Expedition 33
Before the game’s arrival on PC and console, it was announced that a live-action adaptation was in development. While Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 has drawn eyes to its turn-based RPG action thanks to its impressive visuals, the game does have a fascinating plot that revolves around a deadly goddess awakening once a year to cause calamity amongst the surviving humans.
“Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away,” the official synopsis reads. “Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint 33. And tomorrow we depart on our final mission–Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again.”
Horizon Zero Dawn
Sony is looking at a feature film adaptation of one of its biggest IPs, as while Horizon was originally lined up to get a live-action Netflix series, last year it was reported that the project wasn’t moving forward due to workplace misconduct allegations surrounding The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where human civilization has reverted back to a primitive state following a cataclysmic robot uprising, the film follows the outcast Aloy as she looks to unite the tribes of humanity to prepare for a massive threat that could wipe out all life on the planet if left unchecked.
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Duke Nukem
Is the world ready for Duke Nukem’s return? A relic of the video game past–for good and bad reasons–the legendary gunslinger is making his way to theaters in a film project from the producers behind Cobra Kai. This will be an entirely new production when compared to the ill-fated Duke Nukem project that was set to star John Cena, and it was first announced in 2022. Since then, there has been radio silence on the project and it has no names attached to direct, write, or star in it.
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Firewatch
Campo Santo’s story-focused and solitary adventure game Firewatch might sound like an odd choice for a film adaptation, but producers Snoot Entertainment are aiming to bring the interactive piece of art to the big screen. No other details, such as casting announcements or tentative release window, have been revealed since the 2020 announcement, but at the time, Camp Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman had nothing but high praise for the project and the people attached to it.
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Ghost of Tsushima
Back in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima arrived to send off the PS4 generation in grand style. A samurai tale with gorgeous visuals and intense action, the game attracted the attention of John Wick director Chad Stahelski and was quickly added to his slate of projects. Don’t expect to Ghost of Tsushima on the big screen soon, as the director is currently focused on a Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill as the legendary swordsman. Stahelski intends to create an “epic” atmosphere of samurai action while also seeing just how far he can “push the color palette” on this project.
We also know that Sony is developing a Ghost of Tsushima anime spin-off, with this adaptation being handled by Demon Slayer studio Aniplex.
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Gravity Rush
Gravity Rush has managed to escape the pull of development hell since it was first announced in 2022, as work steadily continues on it. Anna Mastro (Secret Society of Second Born Royals) is reportedly the director, and at CES 2024, an entire five seconds of footage was seen during Sony’s press conference. Unlike the anime-inspired 2012 game, this version of Gravity Rush appears to be taking a more realistic approach as it brings the gravity-defying world of Hekseville to life.
Dark Deception
Survival-horror game Dark Deception is being adapted for the big screen, with development being led by writers Adrian Speckert and Cory Todd Hughes. The original game is a story-driven first-person horror maze game in which you must run, hide, or die at the hands of mysterious monsters.
Rider’s Republic
Ubisoft’s extreme sports live-service game Rider’s Republic is also getting a feature film adaptation, and it’ll be helmed by Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Rider’s Republic doesn’t have much of a story to adapt, but the setting for the game–an extremely sporty festival set in the Alps where players can take part in a wide variety of activities–is being expanded on for this movie project.
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Dead by Daylight
For anyone yearning for a good ol’ slasher horror movie, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for Dead by Daylight. The longrunning multiplayer horror game has long been considered a love letter to cinematic terror, and its feature film adaptation will be produced by Blumhouse and James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious).
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Days Gone
Days Gone was an interesting–but flawed–first-party game when it first launched on PS4 in 2019, and while it didn’t reach the same levels of success as Marvel’s Spider-Man or Ghost of Tsushima, it might be better suited for the silver screen. A tale of love, bikers, and zombies in a post-apocalyptic world, the script for this adaptation has been written by Sheldon Turner (X-Men: First Class and the Road House remake) and is said to have a modern-day Western feel to it. Sam Heughan (Outlander) is reportedly attached to play the protagonist Deacon St. John.
The Medium
Horror games make for great movie adaptations–like Silent Hill and Five Nights at Freddy’s to name a few–and Bloober Team’s 2021 game The Medium is also headed to the big sccreen. This project is currently in development underUntil Dawn writer Gary Dauberman’s Coin Operated production company and a search is now on to find a writer and a director.
The House of the Dead
Based on Sega’s zombie-slaying shoot-’em-up series, The House of the Dead will be written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who previously helmed the Resident Evil and Monster Hunter movies. Superman and Alien: Romulus star Isabela Merced has been cast as the lead, and Anderson plans for this production to be an immersive feature that plays out in real-time, giving viewers a “full-on terror ride” that will drop them straight into the action.
Atari classics
For a blast from the past, you can soon look forward to several new movies based on classic Atari video games. Universal Pictures and Entertainment 360 have inked a deal to bring these games to the big screen, and the list so far includes several–probably forgotten–hits of yesteryear:
- Asteroids
- Adventure
- Berzerk
- Breakout
- Centipede
- Crystal Castles
- Millipede
- Missile Command
- Pong
- Yars’ Revenge
