Netflix’s The Witcher and 17 other video games destined to be made into films and TV shows
Big-screen success of Pokémon Detective Pikachu in May shows the demand for offerings with Monster Hunter and Sonic the Hedgehog among forthcoming releases
There is no denying the impact that video games have on our pop culture.
However, despite decades’ worth of attempts, only a handful of films and television shows have been successful in bringing the fun of gaming to the big screen.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu enjoyed a big opening weekend in the United States in May, generating an estimated US$58 million in revenue.
Starring Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, the film was inspired by the story of the Detective Pikachu video game released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and features dozens of iconic Pokémon in live-action for the first time.
In contrast, a trailer for the forthcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film, starring Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz, was completely lampooned by fans. The public response was so bad that the film’s producer promised to revise Sonic's design for the final release.
Rampage – starring Dwayne Johnson – Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed – three recent big-budget films adapted from video games, were all commercial and critical failures in the US, but managed to take advantage of their recognisable brands to earn hundreds of millions of dollars overseas.
Their performance suggests there remains a market for video game films, no matter what the critics say.
That means even more films based on video games are on the way. Sony recently confirmed production on a live-action series based on Final Fantasy XIV and at least two more video game-based films are scheduled for release this year, including Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher starring Henry Cavill.
Check out the 18 forthcoming video-game films and television series to look out for:
1. Angry Birds Movie 2 – released in August