Lionsgate Announces Film Adaptation Of Dead Island

Dead Island

Before we get to it, let us refresh your memory: a certain promotional video for Dead Island raised quite the ruckus, remember?

It threw Techland's open-world zombie-slayin' adventure into the limelight, even if the trailer wasn't indicative of the gameplay (or even the story, for that matter). But it was so good that it attracted attention elsewhere and now, Lionsgate has a big announcement.

Today, Lionsgate has revealed it has optioned film rights from publisher Deep Silver to develop a film feature inspired by Dead Island. Lionsgate co-COO and Motion Picture Group President Joe Drake made the announcement and clearly, he and others were swayed by the tremendous impact of that emotional, dramatic trailer. The ad, by the way, got over 1 million hits in the first 24 hours of its arrival online, and nearly 10 million views after two days. Wired Magazine, College Humor and G4TV all dubbed it the best video game trailer of all time. It even won the Golden Lion in Cannes at the International Festival of Creativity, which is the advertising industry's highest honor.

Dead Island will also inspire upcoming graphic novels, full novels, and "other extensions." The film "will be an innovation of the zombie genre because of its focus on human emotion, family ties and non-linear storytelling." Said Drake:

"Like the hundreds of journalists and millions of fans who were so passionate and vocal about the Dead Island trailer, we too were awestruck. This is exactly the type of property we’re looking to adapt at Lionsgate – it’s sophisticated, edgy, and a true elevation of a genre that we know and love. It also has built in brand recognition around the world, and franchise potential."

The movie is currently in the "early development stage" but already has producers: Sean Daniel ("The Mummy," "Tombstone," "Dazed and Confused") will be at the helm through his Sean Daniel Company, and Stefan Sonnenfeld, a pioneer in the production field who has worked with J.J Abrams, Michael Bay and Gore Verbinski, will assist as well. The game shipped over 1 million units in its first week and received critical acclaim; we liked it, too, despite a few technical misgivings.

So, you up for the Dead Island movie?

Tags: dead island, dead island movie, dead island trailer, lionsgate

9/27/2011 2:53:39 PM Ben Dutka

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