Feature film in the works
Lionsgate isn’t out of the horror game yet, as we had once heard a few months back. Now, more than ever, the studio is investing in the genre with the acquisitions of Cabin in the Woods and You’re Next and is currently shooting Nurse 3D and Silent Hill: Revelation.
On top of all of this, today, the company announced it has acquired the rights from Deep Silver to develop a feature film based on the video game Dead Island.
The game hit on September 6 and has sold over two million units to date.
The game centers on vacationers whose island paradise becomes a living hell when a zombie outbreak quickly spreads. Cut off from the rest of the world, the survivors have only the available materials and the island’s natural “weapons” to protect themselves from the viscous and growing legions of the undead. In addition to the award-winning trailer and video game, the Dead Island intellectual property will be simultaneously developed by Deep Silver into forthcoming graphic novels, novels and other extensions.
Lionsgate is said to be taking its creative cue from the Dead Island teaser trailer which depicted a zombie attack in a non-linear fashion. Says the studio, the film “will be an innovation of the zombie genre because of its focus on human emotion, family ties and non-linear storytelling.”
Lionsgate head Joe Drake says, “Like the hundreds of journalists and millions of fans who were so passionate and vocal about the Dead Island trailer, we too were awestruck.” He continued, “This is exactly the type of property we’re looking to adapt at Lionsgate â 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 film Dead Island is currently in the early development stage with producers attached. Sean Daniel (The Mummy) will spearhead production through his Sean Daniel Company.
Source: Ryan Turek, Managing Editor
