14 DAY TRIAL // There has been a lot of talk about bringing the Grand Theft Auto series to the big screen ever since the launch of the third game in the series and its groundbreaking success, but no project has so far become reality, with one of the leading executives at Rockstar saying that the main reason is the company's desire to control how such a movie would be created.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Dan Houser, who is one of the co-founders of the developer Rockstar, has said, “Virtually all movies made from games are awful, while many games made from movies are also pretty horrible.”
He also believes that the main reason for the drop in quality, when the borders of media are crossed, is linked to the attempt to just cash in on some important intellectual property, with no attempt to create experiences that are actually compelling for the audience.
As to a possible movie based on Rockstar games, Houser added that, “We have explored a lot of movie deals, but we have just chosen not to make a movie. We love movies, but we also love games and that is what we remain focused on. If we were to attempt to make a movie, we would like to make it ourselves, or at least work in collaboration with the best talent, so at least if it is bad, we can know we failed on our own terms.”
Other big video game based brands that are rumored to be on their way to becoming movies include Call of Duty, Uncharted, World of Warcraft and Heavy Rain.
Houser says that other intellectual properties from Rockstar could become movies, which widens the pool of possibilities to Red Dead Redemption, Manhunt, Bully and even the very cinematic L.A. Noire, which is set to be launched in May.