‘Ghost of Tsushima’ director on movie adaptation: ‘We just want to do it right’
The director of the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima film has assured fans that they are doing their best to ensure that the highly-awaited movie adaptation will capture the great qualities of the source material.
In an interview with IGN during the red carpet premiere for The Matrix Resurrections, filmmaker Chad Stahelski said that they “want to do it right,” acknowledging that some movie adaptations in the past didn’t exactly turn out well.
“You know how video game adaptions can go,” he said. “So we're taking our time and doing it right. We're working very closely with the game developers to make sure we stick to what's great about it.”
To name a few, some of the video game adaptations ranked worst by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes are House of Dead (3%), Mortal Kombat Annihilation (4%), Super Mario Bros. (28%), Warcraft (28%) Assassin’s Creed (18%), Monster Hunter (45%) and, more recently, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (30%).
Stahelski, who helmed all four John Wick films starring Keanu Reeves as well as the fourth movie installment in the Matrix film franchise said that they are currently working on the script of Ghost of Tsushima, adding fans of the upcoming movie adaptation "would be very happy with what we're working on."
Meanwhile, IGN said that the filmmaker remains mum on the casting decisions. When asked about the possibility that Daisuke Tsuji, the voice actor behind protagonist Jin Sakai, would reprise his role in the project, he replied: “We’ll see. We haven't gotten that far yet.”
Ghost of Tsushima is based on the first Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274. The game follows the story of Jin Sakai, one of the remaining samurais who survived the invasion of Tsushima. In order to free the island from the grip of the fearsome Mongol Empire, Jin needs to set aside his samurai traditions and learn the way of the Ghost.
The game has already sold millions of copies worldwide since its debut last year. The game won Best Art Direction during the Game Awards 2020 and also received several nominations including Game of the Year, Game Direction and Best Performance for Tsuji.
Ghost of Tsushima is among the video game franchises from PlayStation Productions that will get a movie adaptation. Soon to debut in the big screen is Naughty Dog's Uncharted series with Tom Holland playing the titular role.
The studio's post-apocalyptic video game The Last of Us is also being adapted into a TV series by HBO, with Game of Thrones alums Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey portraying the roles of Joel and Ellie.
Aside from that, a Metal Gear Solid movie is also in development, with Oscar Isaac set to star as Solid Snake.