Last year at E3, Metal Gear Solid producer Konami announced it was in the works of putting together a deal to produce a movie based upon the action-stealth series. Hideo Kojima, creator of the series, was to head up the project and announced during that time, "I have received many offers to adapt Metal Gear Solid. It has taken a long time, but we have finally settled on an arrangement. False facts aside, a movie project is underway. I have finalized a Class-A contract with a party in Hollywood."
Now, the finalized plans have been released and the movie studio in charge of the project has been named–Sony Pictures. Yair Landau, Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said to Gamespot, "We’re working with the Metal Gear guys. It’s a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie-telling. But the question is, ‘How do you translate Snake’s experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?’"
The question posed by Landau is an astute one, as many recent films based upon video games have not even come close to translating the experience and flavor of their game counterparts. With game-based movie debacles such as BloodRayne, Alone in the Dark,and Doom freshly burned as failures into the minds of moviegoers, the public has yet to see more than a few quality video game-to-film adaptation.
Landau has set his sights on other ambitious projects besides the Metal Gear Solid movie. He said, "There are other games we are looking to develop. We’re working with one of my favorite producers right now on an idea for an EverQuest movie." The producer he is referring to may be of some stature in the industry, as Landau demurred in naming who it was and simply said, "I’ll let him disclose that."
