Less than a month after launch,a film adaptation of Split Fiction was already in the works. ForClair Obscur: Expedition 33, the process began before it even came out.
For decades, video game adaptations were seen as critical and commercial poison.Mariogot a shot, the movie Bob–ombed, and the well was thoroughly poisoned. That isn’t to say that no one ever tried again —Street Fighter,Mortal Kombat,Warcraft,Prince of Persia,Assassin’s Creed,Resident Evil,Hitman, and other hit games were adapted for the silver screen in the 30 years between Mario movies. But the expectation was that video game movies, more than any other adaptations, would be abysmal.
Now, the landscape has fully shifted. Post-Mario(and especially post-Minecraft), video games are a welcome source for film stories. And, the way they’re being mined has more in common with spec scripts than it does with traditional adaptation.
What Are Spec Scripts, Anyway?
Spec scripts are screenplays that weren’t written on assignment from a studio, but were instead written by the screenwriter of their own volition, then sold to the studios. Movies like Thelma & Louise and Good Will Hunting began life this way, and Shane Black (The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3) built a career as a highly paid spec writer, earning more than a million dollars on multiple sales. In the ’80s and ’90s, spec scripts were a major part of the film industry and, even today, The Black List is sustained by screenwriters hoping to get their original work made.
Over the years, spec sales have become less and less common. The pursuit of original scripts went hand-in-hand with Hollywood’s interest in high-concept ideas that could be easily explained and pitched, both to executives and the paying public. A movie likeJurassic Parkis high concept. It has an idea that people can begin to picture as soon as they hear it. A movie like Before Sunrise, though, has a less exciting idea and depends more on intangibles, like the strength of the characterization and performances.
How High Concept Ceded Ground To IP
Over time, IP became more important. Instead of trying to find ideas with the potential to excite audiences, Hollywood wanted ideas that already had a proven track record. Instead of taking a risk on new ideas, Hollywood could point to a bestseller (or comic book, or TV show) that was already successful and adapt that, knowing that the audience was already there. The idea was that these properties had already experienced success and already had established fan bases who would pay to see their particular fandom on the big screen. Which is why I find it so fascinating that, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollywood is back to snapping up unproven ideas.
In a way, this is what happens whenever one kind of IP adaptation finds success in film or television. The prolonged superhero trend of the 2010s, led to lesser-known characters like Shazam and the Guardians of the Galaxy getting their moment on the big screen. When Twilight was successful, popular vampire novels like The Southern Vampire Mysteries (the basis for True Blood) and The Vampire Diaries got adaptations. When The Hunger Games broke through, dystopian YA series like The Maze Runner and Divergent were fast-tracked. In a way, what’s happening with games is the same as any IP gold rush.
But, it also isn’t. Twilight inspired vampire media. The MCU inspired more superhero movies. The Hunger Games inspired more dystopian movies. But the many properties being adapted during the video game adaptation craze have nothing in common, except that they’re video games. Five Nights at Freddy’s is a different genre than Split Fiction which is a different genre than Minecraft which is a different genre than Clair Obscur. Though many of the early adaptations have opted for isekai structures, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for game films, and each video game idea has to be evaluated for how cinematic it is on its own merits.
Studios are back to basics. There is no formula that can be applied, and no one way to sell game movies. Each has to be approached as its own thing. Like in the ’80s and ’90s, they’re looking for high-concept ideas that seem like they could adapt well to film. This time, though, instead of spec scripts, video games are making the pitch.
