The Mega Drive and Dreamcast superstars are not only very much alive in 2022, but are also heading to Hollywood: SEGA itself has made official that both Comix Zone and Space Channel 5, two of his classic sagas, will be adapted and brought to theaters by the production company PICTURESTART.
A movement that, to be fair, does not catch us off guard: in April it was announced that the creator of John Wick was working on the Streets of Rage movie and in June it was confirmed that the ATLUS sagas were also ready to give the leap to film and television. Not to mention, of course, that we already have a release date for the third Sonic movie.
However, it must be recognized that the case of Comix Zone y Space Channel 5 is especially striking:
- Comix Zone It has had neither sequels nor remakes. And despite the fact that the action and thrashing game that takes place between comic strips is one of the most fondly remembered games of the Mega Drive, the truth is that SEGA seemed to have forgotten about Sketch Turner except for compilations and re-releases.
- sleep, the protagonist of Space Channel 5, yes, it has had more opportunities to shine: in addition to a sequel that took advantage of the pull of its hilarious musical proposal with that arcade essence so typical of SEGA, in 2020 Space Channel 5 VR was launched: Kinda Funky News Flash for virtual reality systems . Being, in addition, a recurring guest in the games of the house.
In any case, we are facing two titles whose plots are especially easy to adapt to the cinematographic format and especially promising. Although the script does not pose any challenges, it will be up to you to find the right tone and cast. And that’s where it comes in PICTURESTART in the equation.
SEGA and PICTURESTART go for Hollywood
The announcement of two new films based on the SEGA classics has an additional element in common: the participation in both projects of PICTURESTART, which is currently shaping another video game: the Californians are adapting the Borderlands universe to the big screen alongside Gearbox. And we are not going to deny it, the casting is first class.
Among the future projects of PICTURESTART we find two more adaptations: the novel Luckiest Girl Alive, whose premiere is scheduled for this year; Y the successful manga anime Naruto along with producer Avi Arad, who propelled Marvel’s early stages to the big screen.
It will take time to see how this promising alliance ends, but the big plan is clear and in sight: just like PlayStation, Ubisoft or Capcom, the SEGA wants to expand the strength of its brands to the general public through film productions. And who knows? maybe we’ll find some new adventure for consoles and PCs from Sketch Turner and Ulala in the process.
