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Strike puts brakes on Wolfenstein
Though the Writer's Guild strike probably has you relieved that Mario and Master Chief can't take to the picket line, it's still having an effect on some video game-related properties. One of the first casualties we've heard about is Roger Avary's big screen take on Wolfenstein. The writer told Sci-Fi Wire that he "is almost done with the script and am proud of it, but everything as far as the production date and that kind of thing won't be decided on until after all this [is] over. And I fully support the strike." Avary's one of the few in Hollywood who seem to care a lot about video game properties, so we hope he's able to still get the project off the ground after the strike is settled.
Avary talks Wolfenstein movie, Blazkowicz casting
In a new interview with Ain't It Cool News, Roger Avary – the recently announced writer/director of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Oscar contender – talks about the process of adapting a video game to the big screen ("it's a bit of an uphill climb"), the character of BJ Blazkowicz ("he is not racist or an anti-Semite"), and casting the role ("all one needs to do is look at the box art on the Return to Castle Wolfenstein game and you can see who I see in my mind for the role.")Well, we looked at that box art and, unless they're casting a lapel pin in the role of Nazi-killing machine BJ Blazkowicz, we'll assume he means the RtCW: Tides of War box art pictured above. Nevertheless, we're having a tough time seeing precisely who Avary has in mind. We've crossed our eyes; stood away from the screen; nothing. Maybe generi-tough guy Jason Statham? Or sensitive tough guy Ben Affleck? Our vote is for aging tough guy, Bruce Willis. He practically has Nazi-killer written all over him.
Achtung! 'Return to Castle Wolfenstein' flick incoming
Smack dab in the middle of QuakeCon, Variety brings news that Silent Hill movie producer Samuel Hadida has secured the movie rights to id Software's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with Silent Hill writer Roger Avary tapped to both write and direct the new project. Avary said, "I've been playing the character of B.J. Blazkowicz since the epic Wolfenstein 3D first bruised my brain and have ever since wanted to bring his adventures to life on the bigscreen." We're not doctors, but we're quite certain a significant amount of cranial bruising would be necessary before considering the story of B.J. Blazkowicz well-suited for the silver screen. Of course, solid details on the next Wolfenstein game have been holed up in a bunker for years and tonight's QuakeCon keynote by John Carmack and Todd Hollenshead is as good a place as any to unveil new details. Just sayin' ...[Thanks, Ethan]
Roger Avary to write/direct Driver movie
Remember when Silent Hill screenwriter Roger Avary said, during a recent interview with FiringSquad, "I'm currently adapting a game into a script for myself to direct. I'm not talking about it yet, but it's for Atari -- so you can imagine that it's like a dream for me." Now, if you're anything like me, you understood that he meant Pitfall and went to sleep sated with the knowledge that the original adventurer would star in his own feature film. I mean, what other property is Atari going to bring to the silver screen? Indigo Prophecy maybe ... or maybe that Getting Up movie that just got announced, though it already has screenwriters attached.Turns out Avary couldn't contain his exuberance and blurted out his project to FiringSquad after all; he will write and direct an adaptation of developer Reflection Software and publisher Atari's popular Driver series. No word on when this sucker is supposed to hit the pavement on production, but we imagine it won't be long before he starts singing again.
