Solid Snake is finally making his way to the big screen!
There have been several attempts to adapt Metal Gear Solid over the years (Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Oscar Isaac have all been linked to the lead role of Solid Snake), but nothing ever came together.
Now, THR is reporting that Final Destination: Bloodlines duo Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky will direct a MGS movie for Sony Pictures as part of an expansive first-look deal.
As part of the deal, Lipovsky and Stein’s newly-launched company, Wonderlab, "will develop films for the duo to direct and original projects that they will produce for other directors. The focus is creating wildly fun, commercial, character-driven, genre-bending films. They are currently meeting potential executives to help lead the company."
The Metal Gear franchise is made up of a series of Japanese action-adventure stealth games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. The first game, Metal Gear, was released way back in 1987 for MSX home computers. Though other characters have taken center stage, players usually take control of legendary special forces operative Solid Snake as he seeks out the titular superweapon, "Metal Gear", a mecha with the ability to launch nuclear weapons.
"Zach and Adam are thrilling storytellers, masters of visuals and suspense, and two of the most impressive director/producers working today,” said Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group President Sanford Panitch in a statement. “With projects across all the company’s film labels, we are so happy to create a home for them, and proud to have them as part of the Sony family.”
Lipovsky and Stein are already working on several projects for Sony, including an animated Venom movie, as well as an original sci-fi epic titled The Earthling for Columbia Pictures.
“We are honored to be partnering with the incredible executive team at Sony,” said Lipovsky and Stein in a statement. “While working with several Sony teams in the last year, we’ve been blown away by the level of creativity, thoughtfulness, and passion we felt in every conversation. We share the vision that Tom, Sanford, Peter, Louie, Kristine and Damien, Ashley and the whole Sony team have for creating theatrical event films that entertain the world.”
“Metal Gear Solid was nothing short of a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece that forever revolutionized video games. We are thrilled and honored to bring Hideo Kojima’s iconic characters and unforgettable world to life,” they added.
What do you make of this news? Let us know in the comments.
Metal Gear Solid takes place in an alternate history in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s, ending at some point near the end of the 20th century. The game's events take place years after those of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake,[22] and form the third chapter in an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake.