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John Woo to Make Metroid Movie

by Mike Sklens - April 7, 2004, 9:26 am EDT
Total comments: 32 Source: Reuters

Plans for big screen Samus are back in action.

A new report from the Reuters news services has revealed that famous Hollywood action director John Woo has optioned the rights to make a Metroid Movie. Woo snagged the rights after the previous holders let them expire after purchasing them in January of 2003.

The movie will focus on the origin of the game's heroine, Samus Aran. It will follow her story of battling the metroids and Mother Brain. "We have to assume the mainstream audience is unfamiliar with the property," said Producer Brad Foxhoven. "As for the rest of the film, we will stay true to the game and have Samus battling the Metroids and Mother Brain in a fight for control of the galaxy."

Woo was quoted as saying, "We are very fortunate that there is such an extensive amount of material to draw upon for the film due to there being so many iterations of the game over the years."

The story also mentions that John Woo's video game development house, Tiger Hill, is currently working on three games. All are being overseen by Woo, who is directing the games' cinematics, watching over voice talent, story, motion capture, and character design. The first of his games will be available late 2005.

Talkback

past pixelApril 07, 2004

hey can u try to find the trailer of that movie

couchmonkeyApril 07, 2004

Well, Woo is obviously respected for his work in action movies, and the fact that he has his own game development studio says his interest in video games is more than casual. Good signs, but I still don't really feel like this movie (or any movie based on a video game) needs to be made.

Ian SaneApril 07, 2004

Ah man I HATE John Woo. I've never seen a film of his that I would consider even remotely good. His films are always so unrealistic (even by action movie standards) and to make it worse they take themselves too seriously which is a big no-no in an over-the-top action movie. When you've got guys jumping off of missiles or catching up to falling airplanes by somehow falling faster you have to throw in some jokes or it just looks stupid. Why else do you think James Bond works so well?

At the very least he seems to have some knowledge in the Metroid series so we'll hopefully not have a Metroid film in name only. His "experience" in games doesn't mean much to me though. I think Enter the Matrix shows that movie makers aren't guaranteed to "get" videogames even if they think they do.

I personally think the ideal director for this would have been Ridley Scott. Since Metroid takes a lot of inspiration from Alien it seems like a natural fit. Metroid is about isolation, not non-stop action. The ideal director for Metroid is someone who is familar with suspense or science fiction. Metroid should be like Alien. Woo will likely make something like Aliens.

vuduApril 07, 2004

Quote

Originally posted by: past pixel
hey can u try to find the trailer of that movie
just to be clear, all john woo has done is optioned the movie. the script hasn't been written, actors haven't been picked out, filming hasn't taken place, and editing is so far off it's a joke. movie won't come out until end of 2005, at the earliest. look for a tailer sometime around then.

KnowsNothingApril 07, 2004

Quote

His films are always so unrealistic (even by action movie standards) and to make it worse they take themselves too seriously which is a big no-no in an over-the-top action movie.


Well, I don't know if i've ever seen any of his movies, but I don't think the same problems will happen. What's too unrealistic in the Metroid series? Being able to survive a fall from any height without a scratch? I don't think either of the things you metnioned would be a problem in a metroid movie.

Ah, who am I kidding. Even with a director into videogames this movei withh still suck. =P

Bill AurionApril 07, 2004

"His films are always so unrealistic (even by action movie standards)"

Well good thing the Metroid series isn't about realism... face-icon-small-tongue.gif

Ian SaneApril 07, 2004

Obviously Metroid isn't a realistic game but at the same time stuff that is considered normal in a videogame wouldn't work in a movie. Samus usually jumps over enemy fire in the games and that would look silly as hell in a film.

"Unrealistic" is probably a poor choice of words. "Not believable" is a better way to describe Woo's movies. In John Woo movies I find it hard to suspend my disbelief.

You can say that Metroid isn't realistic but if they had something really goofy like Samus using her speed booster to vertically run straight down a wall to beat a falling bomb from reaching the bottom of the pit first you would probably think it didn't make much sense. Metroids don't really exist but the universe presented in the Metroid games does have it's own rules of reality. Breaking those rules would look out of place and silly.

RichApril 07, 2004

I don't know why you guys are so uptight about this. At least we have a directer who knows something about making movies work. Not all of his movies are bad either, I enjoy both Mission Impossibles espesially the first. I'm just glad its woo rather than someone else who doesn't know how to make movies. and it can't be worse then Super Mario Bros.

mouse_clickerApril 07, 2004

Anyone who bashes John Woo needs to see Paycheck. I've said my part.

Don'tHate742April 07, 2004

ya and have you seen Face-Off......that's one of my favorite action movies, also directed by woo

Nile BoogieApril 07, 2004

"John Woo has directed some of the greatest movies of all time"- Q.T. from the Making of Kill Bill.

I love John Woo, "The Killer" is my Fav movie of all time and his flare is unmatched by any director around save 4 maybe QT. His movies include:

Mission Impossible 2
Face-Off
The Killer
Hard Boiled
Windtalkers
Broken Arrow
Hard Target
plus a few others that escape me @ the moment.
...and one more tidbit. Bullet-time that became so popular in the Matrix is John Woo's staple(he mabe it up, everyone is copying him). He didnt have the bugdet to make it as crispy as hollywood but HongKong action movies are supposed to be ashy and grimey. I look forward to his vision of a space epic.

ThePermApril 07, 2004

hmmm well i know he's popular...he was also supposed to make a cg ninja turtle movie that never came out.....

the only movie that i can think of that i saw was mission impossible 2.....but i dont even remember that movie....all i remember that it was entertaining.

Ian SaneApril 07, 2004

The John Woo films I've seen are Broken Arrow, Mission Impossible 2, and most of Face Off (which I left halfway through because I found it so dull). I don't consider any of those to be even remotely on par with what I would consider elite action movies. Face Off was boring and Broken Arrow was okay and somewhat worthwhile for some of John Travolta's lines ("Your brain presses against your skull and it feels like THIS!". MI2 was better than those two but had too many "that is SO DUMB" moments like when Tom Cruise dodges bullets on a motorcycle by hanging off the side with HIS FEET TOUCHING THE GROUND which apparently creates a lot of sparks instead of, you know, ripping his legs off.

Maybe John Woo has made some really great films, I just haven't seen them. Since I haven't been impressed by what I have seen so far (all three of those movies got pretty good reviews) I haven't bothered to check out his other films.

Nonetheless I don't think his style gels with Metroid that well.

JonLeungApril 07, 2004

I guess it's time to come out from lurking.

Quote

Originally posted by: Rich
Not all of his movies are bad either, I enjoy both Mission Impossibles espesially the first.


John Woo didn't direct the first one.

Quote

Originally posted by: Reuters article
The first "Metroid" product was on the now-defunct Nintendo Entertainment System. Realizing the value of owning such a recognizable brand, Nintendo relaunched the "Metroid" franchise with the high-profile release of "Metroid Prime" in November 2002 on its GameCube platform. Other titles, all of which have been best sellers, maintained the franchise's reputation for impressive 3-D graphics and engrossing battle scenes.


So...Metroid titles other than Metroid Prime have impressive 3D graphics? News to me... Also, this:

Quote

Originally posted by: Reuters article
Nintendo will unveil its eighth "Metroid" game, "Metroid Prime 2," during a news conference at the E3 expo in Los Angeles May 11.


Eighth? Did I miss one? I doubt it, and they're probably wrong. The next one should be its seventh.

And saying E3 Expo is as redundant as saying PIN number or ATM machine.

Ian SaneApril 07, 2004

"Eighth? Did I miss one? I doubt it, and they're probably wrong. The next one should be its seventh."

I imagine the reason they came up with eight is that whoever did the research just looked up release dates. The original Metroid was released twice on the NES. The second release came out in 1989 (the first was 1986 or 1987, I'm not sure) and featured different packaging. Odds are the guy counted the release dates and didn't realize that both of those NES games are identical.

Interestingly enough the multiple releases of the NES Metroid even confused NOA as they incorrectly listed the re-release date as the first appearance date of Samus in SSBM.

JonLeungApril 07, 2004

Despite the major plot in Fusion, I would think that if they had to base it on any particular game, the original (or rather, Zero Mission), Prime, or Super would work best. I don't think they'd draw much from Return of Samus. They mentioned the Space Pirates and Mother Brain...whether they come to be in a possible Metroid film (which may or may not come to be itself) remains to be seen. But that must mean that they at least like Super and/or Zero Mission.

The first choice in my mind for Samus (note that I said first, not best, feel free to come up with better ideas) is Bridgette Wilson. With only Samus in most of the games, there really aren't many others to cast...unless you think Ridley should be coherent (as he was in the Nintendo Power comic and Japanese web e-manga) and they'd likely cast some other bounty hunters, space travelers, or scientists.

oohhboyHong Hang Ho, Staff AlumnusApril 07, 2004

I say that it's a doomed lost cause. John Woo's action movies might have been good during the 70's where HK's movie industry was still growing up. But even that kind of stuff ended by the end of the 80's in HK except for.... Jet Lee films.

Rush hour and the Shaganhi Series from Jackie chan is a bit closer representantion of what Hk films are now to about 5 years ago. HK films have started to sycn up with Hollywoodd, but with it's own flavour. But alas, some of that movies are too much in sycn with Hollywood. eg 2002

Broken Arrow is the only one of two decent movie he has made but that was due to a good cast. "The One" came off ok due to that fact John woo was allowed to throw the rules of phyisics out the window as he please. But the funny with was, for such a movie it was rather subdude.

JaleApril 07, 2004

I read in Nintendo Official Magazine that Jessica Alba was being considered for the part. I think she is too famous and recognizable. We need a girl who hasn't been in much before. That was one reason why Viggo Mortinson was great for Aragorn: With a beard he was hardly recognisable as the person who had played parts in relativly minor films.

Nile BoogieApril 07, 2004

I'm pretty sure JohnWoo didn't direct "The One". James Wong did. I also didn't think 2002 was too Hollywood. A bit on the soft side but still pretty good. All of you, if you want faith that John Woo can pull it off. GO FIND "THE KILLER". You can't buy it bcuz its out of print but rent, borrow, steal, cheat, 007-373-5963 it doesn't matter how you see it. JUST SEE IT.

nickmitchApril 07, 2004

I think that by the time this movie is released enough people would have herd of the Metroid series to go see it. But personally I was hoping that it wouldn't be made because I might loose sleep over it and how much they'll f*ck it up.

NeilApril 07, 2004

a video game of this caliber deserves to have a great movie... john woo should consider collaborating w/ people who know how to make fantasy monsters and graphical effects look convincingly almost real like the what they did to the LOTR trilogy...

I hope it wont be a huge disappointment...

ThePermApril 07, 2004

the most video game like movie i saw was behind enemy lines with owen wilson..it kinda reminded me of metal gear....
whoever directed that could make a good vg movie...someone all alone.....but going through alot of shit..yet somehow surviving.

slackerApril 07, 2004

A Metroid movie? Well, I'm always skeptical about the story's quality. Games to movies just don't seem to work. I attribute this to the attitude of the producers and directors towards the video game audience. What I don't want to see in this movie is action sequences that are out of place and physically ridiculous, especially if they have regular people with no special abilities performing physically impossible moves. What most video games to movie does is followtoo closely to the storyline and end up with no real plots in between the beginning and the ending. Resident Evil is one of them. Also, who says video game movies have to have a lot of action with annoying background music. If they take some time to develop a cohesive and suspenseful sequence leading up to a climatic battle, then maybe it would work. I don't know if an orange Metroid suit would look right in a live action movie.

I think the movie should take a Terminator/Aliens type of approach. Aliens has the suspense build up prior to the finale, and Terminator has that carefully paced action sequence that are fun to watch. I'm not a big fan of John Woo's live action sequences, but I'm confident he will employ something tasteful. I would be more comfortable if James Cameron were director, but some one like him don't do video game movies. As for someone to play Samus, how about Keira Knightley from Pirates of the Carribean. She was hot in that movie.

KnoxxvilleApril 07, 2004

John Woo is very good, but he tends to "overproduce" to the likes that border on redundancy. Like Face/Off and MI2 were both great, but at times you're just like, enough is enough!

Termin8AnakinApril 07, 2004

Paycheck was damn awesome. Everyone should go see that movie. It was at least bit more believable than his other action movies in terms of stunts, despite the fact that it's based in the future.
Face/Off was pretty cool, and Mission Impossible 2 was a great escape from reality. The stunts may seem a little outlandish, but I don't really care.

One thing I'm wondering is how he's gonna put in his little dove trademark in, seeing as it's in space and all face-icon-small-tongue.gif

I'm looking forward to this movie more now that it's under the guidance of John Woo. I have more faith in him making a decent movie, and you should too, seeing as how the previous guys were from an American Pie background.
While Metroid DOES have a lot of inspiration from Alien, getting Ridley Scott would make it too damn obvious, plus the fact is that he's making Alien 5 anyway. Having it too similar to Alien (in terms of the creepy atmosphere and eerie silences) is not too good. I know a space action movie is overdone as well, but I'm interested as to how Woo will make it. And if there's going to be info about it at E3, Woo may have asked Miyamoto to help out too.

oohhboyHong Hang Ho, Staff AlumnusApril 07, 2004

MI2 was a disgrace to it's namesake. MI has always been a spy triller with a dash of action. But Johny pretty much took it out and shot it.

The Jame Bond series has the same flaw. Jame Bond never has been a straight action movie until now. Now we got Koreans trying to be europeans, a car chase to no where, CnC syle space based weapons. Very un james Bond.

Anybody can over produce with a big enough budget. All it involves is shoving in as much SFX in to the movie as one can produce.

mijiApril 08, 2004

I think a metroid movie is a great idea. It shouldn't suck that bad if he stays true to the basic idea of the video games. I liked resident evil, but the problem was they just took another zombie movie and reused the resident evil names, (umbrella Co., T-virus, etc.) . Other than some recycled names, the movie had absolutely nothing to do with the video games at all. And isn't the point of an action movie to get away from reality? When I go to see a good action movie I want to say, "Wow, wouldn't it be cool if people could really do that?" What's the point in paying five bucks to see someone do things the kid down the street could do with some boards and a good helmet?
"he was also supposed to make a cg ninja turtle movie that never came out....."
If you go to Mirages' website www.ninjaturtles.com, I'm pretty sure they said it was on the backburner, but not cancelled. Just delayed. (they have screenshots^_^)

JonLeungApril 08, 2004

Just 'cause he's made some great movies (like The Killer, as you say), doesn't necessarily make him capable of Metroid. That's one movie, and some other movie is, well, another one altogether. I haven't seen much of The Killer...I have seen some of it, but not much...but I fail to see how that has any relation to Metroid.

I think that those who say that it's in good hands are overly optimistic. And those who say that all video game-based movies are doomed to suck are overly pessimistic. Obviously, the final verdict will be when and if the movie actually comes out and we all see it...

Bill AurionApril 08, 2004

Ninty needs to sitting over his shoulder at all times...They should realize that...

JaleApril 08, 2004

If they don't keep him on a short leash this film might be total pap.

ThePermApril 08, 2004

i still kinda wanna right a script for a movie based off a game..but i would probably get hatemail....i wish some anime directors would write the story...but of course nintendo would have to keep on it to keep the story plausable.

Avinash_TyagiApril 09, 2004

This is good news, if the movie sticks to the actual Metroid universe and has good Nintendo input this could be a huge PR victory for Nintendo.

The movie will come out around the release of the N5, so have one of the launch games be metroid; Release the movie at the same time and watch sales rocket.

Plus they could plug the rest of the lineup during the prieviews.

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