Netflix’s live-action big budget adaptation of the science fiction video game series “Gears of War” now seems perfectly on track with the added momentum and skills of Jon Spaihts, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of “Prometheus,” “Doctor Strange” and “Dune” on board to pen the project.
Epic Games and The Coalition’s “Gears of Wars” saga first burst onto Microsoft’s Xbox gaming scene back in 2006 with a sophisticated ad campaign that featured gung-ho interplanetary commandos in brutal alien combat scenarios set to Gary Jules’ haunting rendition of the classic Tears For Fears tune, “Mad World.”
Over the course of the last 16 years and the release of five sequels and two tactical spinoffs, the “Gears of War” franchise has sold over 41 million copies.
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This ambitious creative endeavor was initially announced by Netflix in November of 2022 as both a live-action “Gears of War” film adaptation and animated TV series based on the sci-fi property, and the big gamble could evolve into a lucrative franchise for the streaming titan.
In the original “Gears of War,” disgraced space marine sergeant Marcus Fenix and his partner Dominic “Dom” Santiago lead a ragtag fire team known as Delta Squad. this is group is the hostile exoplanet Sera’s last line of defense against a monstrous subterranean alien threat called the Locust Horde.
“‘Gears of War’ is one of the all-time great action games, with vivid characters, a beautifully designed world and a combat system that drives home the lethality of war and the importance of standing by your squadmates,” Spaihts told Netflix (opens in new tab). “It wants to be cinema, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to help that happen.”
Spaihts is well-seasoned in otherworldly affairs, having previously penned the excellent scripts for director Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” (2012) and director Scott Derrickson’s “Doctor Strange” (2016). He also took on the Herculean task of wrangling Frank Herbert’s sprawling “Dune” narrative for director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning sci-fi epic and its conclusion landing this fall.
Netflix’s forthcoming “Gears of War” blockbuster will be produced in partnership with The Coalition, the developers of the insanely popular “Gears of War” games.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Jon and the Netflix team to bring ‘Gears of War’ to life,” The Coalition told Netflix (opens in new tab). “Jon is a master storyteller with a talent for creating epic science-fiction universes and he truly loves ‘Gears of War.’ We couldn’t ask for a better partner to honor our franchise and deliver an authentic story to our fans.”
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