Rumor: Ex-Marvel Studios boss lands Mass Effect film rights
by Randy Nelson 
{ Sep 18th 2008 at 10:15PM }
Variety reports that former Marvel Studios head, Avi Arad, has optioned the rights to produce a Mass Effect movie from Electronic Arts. Arad, whose production company is already working on a film adaptation of Lost Planet, is considered the driving force behind the renaissance of Marvel's comic properties in Hollywood.
Should this rumor pan out, there remain numerous hurdles between acquiring film rights and actually getting said film made ... let alone up on the big screen. Arad will need a screenwriter, for one – preferably someone who's respectful of the source material. He's already got David "Solid Snake" Hayter on Lost Planet; who would you like to see pen the Mass Effect script, in a dream situation?
Should this rumor pan out, there remain numerous hurdles between acquiring film rights and actually getting said film made ... let alone up on the big screen. Arad will need a screenwriter, for one – preferably someone who's respectful of the source material. He's already got David "Solid Snake" Hayter on Lost Planet; who would you like to see pen the Mass Effect script, in a dream situation?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Badger_badger_badger @ Sep 18th 2008 10:19PM
WE WANT UWE BOL!
Ihavepants @ Sep 19th 2008 12:24AM
We do?
xGeneral DEATHx @ Sep 19th 2008 8:14AM
WE WANT UWE BOLL TO DIE IN A FIERY, PAINFUL SORT OF WAY!
Fixed. :-)
Osman @ Sep 18th 2008 10:28PM
I don't get it....ME is basically like watching a long movie (part of the reason I love it so much)
Plus the whole game is about choice, which does not work in a movie
theturtle363 @ Sep 19th 2008 8:41AM
that's what DVD alternate endings are for. It's not like the choices you made at the end even had a HUGE difference like KOTOR or JE, it really was only a slight variation depending on your renegade/paragon meter and final choice.
Misfit Toy @ Sep 18th 2008 10:26PM
Film rights? Is everyone jumping on this bandwagon?
BananaBoat @ Sep 18th 2008 11:16PM
We've got to make movies out of every generic Sci-Fi video game now. Mass Effect was a good game (except for the...driving...and the elevators...ugggg) but a movie? No.
Dirty @ Sep 19th 2008 1:08AM
Eh.. its a viable way for these game studios to make money off their IP. If its anything like books, most wont make it to production.
BananaBoat @ Sep 19th 2008 1:36AM
Somehow the Dragonball Z movie is being made, despite noone asking for it. I see production shots of it, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be straight to DVD. It looks too terrible for words.
Mr Khan @ Sep 19th 2008 8:46AM
(Puts DBZ fan hat on)
Its a Dragonball movie, not a DBZ movie. Though i do agree it looks horrible. You can't make a cartoon into a live action movie, you just can't.
BananaBoat @ Sep 19th 2008 2:43PM
It's DB? Why is Goku an adult? I guess he was...what...20? at the end of DB...but still....what a wasted opportunity to make a good DB movie with Goku as a little kid.
Gavin @ Sep 18th 2008 10:36PM
Arad almost completely destoyed Marvel single-handedly and his first production away from them was the Bratz movie. Don't worry...it'll probably never happen that he gets anything much else off the ground much less anything actually coming to completetion. If he does do anything at this point, I doubt it would anything other than straight to DVD or SciFi Channel.
Jeff @ Sep 18th 2008 10:49PM
The writers from Battlestar Galactica. They pull off gritty, realistic science-fiction better than anyone else, and I think they'd have fun with the slightly crazier nature of Mass Effect.
bewitt2779 @ Sep 18th 2008 10:51PM
Drew Karpshyn- the guy that wrote the games/novels. Might be a good place to start.
Whiskey Jak @ Sep 19th 2008 7:48AM
Yeah, well they (supposedly) bought the rights for the plot, not the gameplay, which are two completely different things. Guess what, there's two books in the same universe and although they won't win its author a Pulitzer, they "work" pretty well. So in fact it doesn't impact the fact that they could make a movie out of the universe, or a movie directly from the game (yes, they can even have Sheppard in it, nobody cares that each player had its own Sheppard).
Does the universe offers enough material to support a movie? Yes. Could it possibly make money given a good script, director and main actor? Yes. So there you have it. And remember that a majority of people who played ME wouldn't even care about the disparities with the game, because most people don't care about their games that much.
LuckyEMS @ Sep 18th 2008 11:38PM
ugh
no
no
no
Batzarro @ Sep 19th 2008 12:18AM
Oh...but it'll still have alien lesbian sex scenes, roight?
Will @ Sep 19th 2008 1:52AM
We can only hope.
Dirty @ Sep 19th 2008 1:09AM
How are they going to compress this game into a 2 hour movie.... that's barely enough time to cover the elevator rides.
Batzarro @ Sep 19th 2008 1:42AM
I wager if this really is real, the chances of it being picked up by a studio are really deppendent on the success the new Star Trek movie gets. If it fails, cold feet. If it succeeds, a deep space gold rush(heh. Just like in the game) will set in on Hollywood and they'll be tryin' to get more of those out there.
But I hope they don't make it a budget film, like roughtly every other game-to-film project. Mass Effect can't be like Doom, and it can't be a February movie.
Now, if Fox were to pick up the financing for it, THAT would be funny.
Batzarro @ Sep 19th 2008 1:44AM
I wager if this really is real, the chances of it being picked up by a studio are really deppendent on the success the new Star Trek movie gets. If it fails, cold feet. If it succeeds, a deep space gold rush(heh. Just like in the game) will set in on Hollywood and they'll be tryin' to get more of those out there.
But I hope they don't make it a budget film, like roughtly every other game-to-film project. Mass Effect can't be like Doom, and it can't be a February movie.
Now, if Fox were to pick up the financing for it, THAT would be funny.
Batzarro @ Sep 19th 2008 1:45AM
Stupid comment no-showing! It always gats me! GGRRRRR!
Ihavepants @ Sep 19th 2008 2:50AM
SOLUTION!=! Don't post it a second time.
Andrew @ Sep 19th 2008 3:22AM
Orson Scott Card
arrakisman @ Sep 19th 2008 8:16AM
He's still trying to get Ender's Game produced.
Snowblind @ Sep 19th 2008 6:07AM
Along with Metal Gear.. this is one of those games that really just does NOT need turned into a movie.
Misfit Toy @ Sep 19th 2008 7:47AM
I agree. Some games you say, "this would make a great movie." With Mass Effect you're saying, "this is like a great movie."
No need for Hollywood to tear it up.
arrakisman @ Sep 19th 2008 8:18AM
Felt the same way when the did the Wing Commander movie. I think the game had more stars in it than the movie.
ZeroCorpse @ Sep 19th 2008 11:17AM
Timothy Zahn.
Accept no substitutes.
Robert @ Sep 19th 2008 2:41PM
I think Drew Karpyshyn is an obvious choice for the screenplay. He's Mass Effect's lead writer as well as author of both Mass Effect novels. According to his site he has already written some scripts and "one script that’s nearly complete, and [he] will be looking for an agent soon to help [him] market it to major Hollywood studios."
http://www.drewkarpyshyn.com/screenplays.htm
LordMinogue @ Sep 19th 2008 11:49AM
But...then they'll have to decide on a cannon ending...
whiplashchick @ Sep 19th 2008 11:58AM
as long as it's a female Shepard and it stays true to the source material, i don't care.
Tuxy79 @ Sep 19th 2008 12:40PM
Mass Effec could make a smooth transition to the big screen. Having said that, I don't support the idea of a movie adaptation. I'm more interested in playing the game.