For the past year, fans have enjoyed stellar adaptations of their favorite video games such as Emmy-nominated HBO’s The Last of Us, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and most recently Prime Video’s Fallout. With the latter officially greenlit for a second season, and The Last of Us returning sometime next year, movies based on video games are picking up steam as well. A Legend of Zelda animated movie, Minecraft, Borderlands, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are all headed to theaters. But what about the next generation of adaptations?
Let’s look at some games with the story, characters, and fan adoration that would make perfect big-screen adaptations, and hopefully reach a new audience along the way (remember the Clicker jokes on SNL?). From Steam sleeper hits to some of the greatest game franchises of all time, here’s what should be made into a movie–and could become box-office hits.
1. Lethal Company
The co-op sci-fi/horror survival game by Zeekerss brings space exploration, the horrors of capitalism, and fever-dream monsters together, making for a fun time with friends. On the surface, the concept is pretty simple: You and your team play employees of The Company, an ominous and faceless corporation, where you’re sent to faraway moons to find and sell scrap to meet a series of increasing profit quotas, or you’re fired (launched into space and die) and the game is over.
Despite all that, the actual gameplay can be the funniest thing ever. The monster designs are something out of a Benadryl overdose and communicating with your party isn’t always the easiest, resulting in sometimes having to leave them before–or getting left behind yourself. Imagine something like Office Space in outer space with elements of Resident Evil sprinkled in. That would be 90 minutes well spent.
2. Blasphemous
One of the most novel-looking metroidvanias out there, Game Kitchen’s Blasphemous combines Catholic iconography, Spanish culture, and bloody, bloody combat to take players on a divine and mysterious journey. Originally launched as a Kickstarter campaign back in 2017, Blasphemous was released in 2019 and developed a cult following that shared a Venn Diagram with folks really into the Berserk manga series. There’s badass medieval combat, instantly iconic character design, and a swimming pool level of blood spilled throughout the game. Who wouldn’t love to see that at the movies?
The main character, the Penitent One, has a holy arsenal of weapons and magic to take on the wildest-looking bosses–looking at you Lady of the Charred Visage–that would translate great to the big screen in the weirdest of ways. Take something like the vibe of David Lowery’s The Green Knight by A24 and insert over-the-top violence; Blasphemous could be the next big thing.
3. Metroid
Speaking of metroidvanias, let’s go back to the original. Bounty hunter Samus and her cybernetic super suit take on space pirates and aliens all vying for control of the galaxy. You have enough of Samus’ backstory for the bones of the movie’s narrative, with the hero being raised by bird-like aliens and searching for revenge over the death of her parents. From there though, you can go nuts.
Metroid has non-linear gameplay and 10 games to use as inspiration for the story. Yeah, you can keep it simple with Samus hunting down Space Pirate leader Ridley, but there’s so much you can explore. The imagery alone could rival the likes of Dune, with interstellar weirdos like Mother Brain and the Phazon. There have been talks about a Metroid movie for 30 years now, with the most recent close call to getting things on track coming back in 2009. Sadly, something has yet to manifest. Shame, really.
4. Castlevania: Bloodlines
Okay, admittedly this is a bit of a cheat. Netflix already has the Castlevania animation on lock, but when are the Belmonts, or in this case Belmont descendant John Morris, or Eric Lecarde, jumping to the silver screen? Sadly, the closest thing Castlevania fans have gotten to a live-action adaptation was the Hugh Jackman vehicle, Van Helsing. Castlevania has everything an action-horror franchise could need to make it successful, even outside the name recognition, but Bloodlines stands out as an entry that would be especially fun as a film.
The game itself takes place in 1917, amid WWI, which is a little different from the revolutionary era of Castlevania: Nocturne on Netflix. On top of that, you have a double dose of Dracula tie-ins with John Morris, son of Quincey Morris from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, who now wields the Vampire Killer whip. There’s also the villain Elizabeth Bartley, who is at least loosely based on Elizabeth Bathory. It remains uncertain if they are, in fact, the same person. Bloodlines presented something outside of the usual Castlevania setting and that could set it apart from the magic that Studio Trigger is making over for TV.
5. Hollow Knight
The lore of Hollow Knight is as deep as the grim underground that you explore during the game as the mighty insectoid Knight. Still, there is a lot that can be removed to streamline the plot enough for a strong movie that leaves the door open for further entries. The Team Cherry indie hit originated as a Kickstarter success story and eventually sold almost 3 million copies, with a sequel on the way.
The story focuses on the adventuring Knight journeying through the ancient ruins of Hallownest: a civilization that fell after a force called The Infection spread. As the Knight, it is your holy mission to find and kill three insect lords called the Dreamers, who act as the living seals to where The Infection remains. Again, it’s a lot to take in, but imagine something in the vein of Shane Acker’s 9 or even Henry Selick’s Coraline, and you could have a huge hit.
6. Bloodborne
If you’re not familiar with the game, aesthetics on this alone should be an easy ticket sale. The game was inspired by the works of the likes of H. P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker, along with the gothic architectural design of Romania and the Czech Republic. It’s already been adapted into a card game, board game, and even comics, so the next logical step would be taking this franchise to the movies.
In the game, you play a Hunter, a supernatural being with unnatural powers, but suffering from a mysterious plague. As you venture through the hauntingly beautiful land of Yharnam, you are quested with the arduous task of taking on beasts throughout the land, supplying the blood you need to end the plague. There’s an underlying conspiracy beneath all of the monster-hunting and exploring that keeps the story moving between jaw-dropping boss fights and soaking in the atmosphere. You could even argue that the movie doesn’t have to focus on the Hunter you play, but a previous walker of the Hunter’s Dream and just work within the lore a la the Assassin’s Creed movie (though hopefully better executed).
7. Animal Crossing
Originally released on the GameCube (outside of Japan) over 20 years ago, it eventually became the franchise that the world turned to when things were shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. Yeah, there was an anime movie in Japan that never saw a global release, but considering Illumination Studio’s partnership with Nintendo, this is prime real estate to make another hit franchise. I mean, don’t the villagers just communicate in Minions’ speech anyway? Kidding, of course, but the Animal Crossing brand has already become Lego sets, a Build-A-Bear model, and countless pieces of clothing and other toys. Making a movie makes all the sense in the world.
The best thing about Animal Crossing is how malleable the story can be. You arrive in a village and set up residence, quickly helping your neighbors flourish to make the best community you can. The anime movie back in 2006 took place over a calendar year and even had aliens involved, but you could tell a similar story of a young kid villager adapting to this new life. You could even adapt the New Leaf narrative and have the young villager become the new mayor of the town and try to improve life for your neighbors.
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