In a season of Hollywood blockbusters, it's no wonder why Electronic Arts would want to sink its teeth into the movie industry's delicious celluloid pie. This morning the company announced that it signed with talent and literary agency, UTA, to help catapult its properties onto the silver screen.

EA currently has a movie deal in the works for The Sims, as well as plans to bring an animated version of MySims to TV. In addition, earlier this year EA signed a deal with Starz Media to develop an animated prequel to Dead Space, as well as other unspecified franchises. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as EA notes that this new deal will "significantly ramp up" efforts to bring its IP to other forms of entertainment, such as movies and television, as well as online, print, and social networks. With some of these projects likely to surface this week in San Diego during Comic-Con, are there any EA properties you could see yourself sitting through with a bucket of popcorn in your lap?

Looking one part System Shock and another part Event Horizon, Electronic Arts' Dead Space is another of 2008's most eagerly anticipated experiments with freaking us right out. In development by a "renegade" team of devs at EA Redwood Shores, the game represents one of the few truly original offerings from a company that has rightfully earned a dubious reputation for recycling IP.

However, if our interest was piqued by the sci-fi survival horror romp through outer space, it completely pales to EA's own enthusiasm for the project, which has seen Dead Space cast in both comics as well as an upcoming animated prequel in the run up to the game's release this Halloween. But EA throwing money at a game to keep it in the news is hardly surprising, so we spoke with executive producer Glen Schofield about the project, asking him point blank why we should care about a game that, as he tells it, is about "a normal guy in a horrible situation."

Life aboard the Ishimura is rough. The food is lousy, the company's worse, and the endless screams make it just impossible to get a good night's sleep. While some might deal with these issues by writing a letter or turning to pills, spaceship engineer Isaac Clarke, the protagonist in EA's Dead Space, has decided to take care of things his own way -- by cutting anything in his path to ribbons.

EA has released this new gameplay video demonstrating Clarke's unique way of getting things done using a method referred to by Dead Space executive producer, Glen Schofield, as "strategic dismemberment." It's a fancy term for taking enemies apart "limb by limb." As Clarke slices and dices the Ishimura's resident nasties, called Necromorphs, Schofield notes that they will continue to fight back in true Ninja Gaiden II style, sometimes requiring more creative weapons like the stasis or telekinesis guns. Dead Space is shaping up to be one of this Fall's more interesting releases -- we're looking forward to gutting our way through Necromorph hordes this Halloween.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

EA recently released a new "issue" of their Dead Space comic and just like the first (this being the second), it's a video comic with no reading in sight. You can view all the nearly nine minutes of comic book goodness in the video above.

A+ to you EA for blending an interesting backstory with pretty decent voice acting talent and a comic art style into Dead Space video entertainment. Also, for those who missed it, you can view the first issue of the Dead Space comic embedded after the break.

The GameTrailers crew just posted an exclusive Dead Space trailer interestingly enough called"Exclusive Story Trailer". We're sure the "Exclusive" part of the name is referring to the GameTrailers exclusivity and one would thing the "Story" part of the name refers to some sort of story being told ... yup, that's it. There are story elements being told. Check the latest Dead Space trailer embedded above and wish you were equally cool as Isaac to possess a wicked awesome welder's mask.

We've just been informed that there's a new Dead Space dev diary available (the second thus far) which discusses how the team over at EA has been approaching the game's development. And we quickly learn that Dead Space development building block number one is the game's deep storyline.

According executive producer Glen Schofield, the core development strategy for Dead Space was to put focus on the story and characters, then build the actual game and gameplay mechanics around that. And it really shows. As the team talks about the story we can't help but be intrigued by the idea of mining entire planets for scarce resources then accidentally unleashing hell while in the process. We also enjoy the game's eeriness. Heck, we'll even go as far to say that the in-game shots look gorgeous. We think we're falling in love. Watch the dev diary, learn about the dev team's mindset and start to garner an opinion, because Dead Space will be hitting retailers this October. Boo!

First comics and now cartoons, Electronic Arts isn't taking any chances that its upcoming space-meets-survival horror title Dead Space will go unnoticed when it drops this Halloween. The latest effort comes by way of a partnership with film company Starz Media for an animated prequel, which according to EA will pick up the story from the last page of the comic book and cover the events up the beginning of the game itself.

Starz Media is apparently in talks with unspecified networks to air the animated feature this Halloween, while a DVD release is also planned as well. Showing considerable hope for the project, or perhaps just being blinded by dollar signs, the pair have also cemented plans for further animation projects centered on two other EA franchises, but which ones? Inquiring minds want to know.

Players will be able to answer nature's call -- or any call for that matter -- in EA's upcoming survival horror title Dead Space. While an earlier report noted that the devs were considering dropping the ability to pause from the game altogether, EA's Glen Schofield has clarified things, stating that while Dead Space will let you pause the action and take a breather, inventory management will be left to the throes of real-time.

The executive producer told Stephen Totilo of MTV's Multiplayer blog that since combat in Dead Space is "happening live and in real time," players won't be able to pause their game to heal, reload, or write home while being gnawed on by whatever nasties the devs have cooked up. Noted Schofield, "You better ammo up before you begin your fight. Because you can't really be safe." Honestly, inventory we can handle; it was the fear of having to visit a urologist after having to hold it for too long that truly kept us awake at night.

For everyone who feared that they would have to endure hours upon hours of alien butchering without the ability to pause in EA's upcoming Dead Space, you'll be able to sleep more soundly tonight because that just isn't true.

After talking with Dead Space's executive producer Glen Schofield, MTV Multiplayer learned that the whole no pause rumor was taken out of context and that Dead Space will allow the player to pause the game. Otherwise, that'd be against Microsoft and Sony's rules. What the player will not be able to do is pausable actions like in Resident Evil, where players can equip new items or add more ammo from the pause menu. Because really, pausing the game in a third person shooter to do inventory management while in the heat of a murderous alien battle is so 1999. Jeesh.

We just got word that the official website for EA's upcoming space-horror shooter Dead Space is now alive and kicking over at deadspace.ea.com. And once there, you'll not only be treated to a plethora of in-game Dead Space screenshots and a previously released trailer, but you'll also come across other gory goodies. Digging deeper, you'll find a rather intriguing comic book style video that sets up the game's story as well as a downloadable fan kit, a developer blog and some old school forums as well. It's what we in the business would call a Dead Space fanboy's "dream". Make the jump, browse a bit and see what you can find over in the online world of Dead Space. And yes, we'll admit it, our interest has been sparked.

Electronic Arts has finalized an appropriate release date for its upcoming survival horror title Dead Space, announcing that the game will keep players in both North America and Europe oxygen-deprived starting this Halloween, October 31. If there was ever a reason for cosplayers to pore over the Sears catalog for toasters to affix to their heads this haunting season, this game is it.

The game is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and promises a "chilling, claustrophobic feeling of being isolated in a dark environment." EA also notes that Dead Space will force players to face down alien horrors not as a hulking superman but rather as a lowly engineer, though if history has taught us one thing, it's to not underestimate the little guy.

We've known of EA's collaboration with Image for a comic book miniseries based on Dead Space for some time, though like the game itself any news beyond knowledge that something is coming has been scarce. Now EA has confirmed new details surrounding the project, noting that the six-part comic series will be penned by Wasteland's Antony Johnston and feature the unmistakable art of Ben Templesmith, best known for his work on Image Comics' own Fell.

As noted earlier, the comics will serve as a prequel to EA's nonstop scare-a-thon, which is expected to keep us playing from beneath the safety of our blankets when it drops this fall for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. We're unsure if the comics will have a similar effect on our psyche, though the above image taken from a limited edition version of the first issue creeps us right out. Just look at his eyes. He knows something. This special edition of the first issue will be given away at this week's WonderCon in San Francisco, while the series will begin showing up at your comic store of choice this March. In the meantime, if you need us, we'll be under the couch where it's safe.

Sure, Dead Space isn't out yet, but given its business-savvy publisher (Electronic Arts), talk of sequels is inevitable. Speaking to EuroGamer Germany, executive producer Glen Schofield explained how he envisioned the game as a franchise. "I'd love for this to become a well established franchise; we've created a huge and rich back story and universe, so other games could easily be made."

New details about the survival-horror game were also revealed. You play spaceship engineer Isaac Clarke, who stumbles upon space zombies on a routine mining vessel call. Your goal is to survive, rescue survivors, and probably kill monsters while you're at it. Schofield said that the game will feature in-game cutscenes (à la Half-Life) and upgradeable weapons and skill trees (à la BioShock). He also said that there will not be a cluttered HUD to distract immersion, which leads us to believe it might have something to do with those lights on the backpack seen in the concept art (pictured).

Schofield mentioned downloadable content, which is reportedly under way for the game (here's an idea: put that content in the game now and work on DLC after it goes gold). Dead Space, with fun hyperboles like "scariest video game ever," is expected this fall for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

We are so excited for Dead Space. It's going to be so awesome that we're sure when it's released, even our strongest hyperbole will fail to describe its greatness, even though we don't technically know anything much about it. So, how are we so sure it will be great? Well, for starters, Mr. Smarty Pants, we've seen a trailer that made the game look amazing. How would that be possible if the game itself wasn't amazing? It wouldn't, that's how. Also, EA said it was "brilliant, bold and often bloody." They're making the game! Don't you think they'd know?

Finally we have Exhibit C: Image Comics is going to be turning Dead Space into a six-part comic miniseries. It's coming in March and it's a prequel, which means that there's so much good story, they couldn't even fit it all into the game! Awesome! Well, that's all for now, we'll be sure to keep updating you on why Dead Space is awesome as soon as we ... you know, learn something about it.