John Wick director Chad Stahelski is attached to direct a movie based on the PlayStation game Ghost of Tsushima. He said in a new interview that he believes the success of HBO’s The Last of Us series is showing, finally, that video game movies can actually be good.
Speaking to BroBible, Stahelski started off by confirming that he is not a lock to direct the Ghost of Tsushima movie or the film based on the Rainbow Six series, noting that it is his “hope” that they come to fruition someday. If Ghost of Tsushima does get made with Stahelski directing, he said he believes it can succeed thanks to its strong story.
“It’s got an amazing story. It’s the anti-samurai samurai movie. It’s got great thematics,” he said.
The director went on to say that he is feeling “a lot of push” on the Ghost of Tsushima movie because HBO’s The Last of Us series has helped lift the so-called curse of video game adaptations.
“It can be done. You’ve just got to give it love and attention. And Ghost of Tsushima, of probably all the other video game [movies] in development, I think that’s the one that’s going to land,” he said.
Stahelski is referring to the history of video game movies and TV adaptations being very mediocre over the years. A key difference with The Last of Us is that game director and writer Neil Druckmann is very involved. The same is true for the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is getting plenty of buzz and has Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto attached as a producer.
In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski alluded to how the announcement of his involvement with the Ghost of Tsushima and Rainbow Six films might have been premature.
“Hollywood loves a good announcement, don’t they? There have been a few that have come out, and I’ve been surprised to see I’m attached to direct them,” he said with a laugh.
Stahelski’s next movie is John Wick: Chapter 4, which releases on March 24. After that, he said he and Keanu Reeves are planning to give the John Wick series a rest. After a period of time, Stahelski said he expects to reunite with Reeves in Japan, drink some whiskey, and map out another John Wick movie.
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