Over the past decade, video games have become a source of entertainment for all audiences, whether or not they choose to pick up the controller. Many of the gaming industry’s popular titles have been making their way to the big screen, as Hollywood has been taking advantage of the rich stories created by indie to AAA studios. Video game adaptations have been around for some time but if there is anything we’ve learned in the past two years, these forms of transmedia are here to stay. With the success of The Last of Us (which will have its Season 2 debut in April), Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Fallout (in production for Season 2), and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the future of bringing these franchises to a new audience is looking bright.
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Speaking of the future, many video game adaptations have yet to make their big (or small) screen debut. While the previously mentioned titles hold acclaim in more ways than one, these upcoming titles might be the next instance of striking gold in Hollywood. Some of the adaptations are further along than others, but in due time, all these projects will have their time in the spotlight. Whether they are done in live-action or animation, the following titles preview what’s next in Hollywood’s newest batch of video game adaptations.
Among Us
Based on the party game Mafia, Among Us follows a group of colorful Crewmates working to complete their assigned tasks while using social deduction to figure out which members are Impostors, alien shapeshifters in disguise. Many note the entertaining gameplay as a highlight of the game, spawning countless memes during 2020. Due to its overwhelming popularity and success, the game found a new land to conquer…Hollywood.
Announced in 2023 by CBS and Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis, the series will follow the same premise as the game but will feature a fully-voiced cast and animation by Titmouse. The murderous row of colorful talent sees the likes of Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Dan Stevens (Solar Opposites), Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille), Randall Park (Wandavision), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), and Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Ring series) taking their assigned roles. No release date for the series has been announced yet.
Watch Dogs
Ubisoft’s action-adventure franchise Watch Dogs has been an established series within the industry since 2013. Cited for its open-world gameplay, which mixes stealth, role-playing, and puzzle elements, the game follows different hacker protagonists within real-life cities as they find themselves involved in criminal underworlds. While the newest installment allowed players to recruit any NPC in the game, it seems that we will be seeing one or two protagonists in a new format.
Watch Dogs had a rough time getting off the ground in Hollywood, as the project was in development hell for over seven years. However, it was revealed in March 2024 that the movie was moving forward at New Regency, with acclaimed French director Mathieu Turi and Oxygen screenwriter Christie LeBlanc attached. As of now, Talk To Me breakout star Sophie Wilde and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes Tom Blyth are attached to star. No release date has been announced yet.
Tomb Raider
The famous British archaeologist Lara Croft will return to Hollywood once again. The franchise began in 1996 with the critically acclaimed action-adventure title Tomb Raider, which paved the way for 12 more mainline installments, the latest being 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The series has gone through multiple studios over the last few decades but the main focus on exploring dangerous tombs and ruins to find lost artifacts has stayed the same. On top of the video game series, the franchise has been developed into comics, novels, and three movie adaptations, with Academy Award-winning actresses Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander portraying the leading lady.
While we won’t see Lara Croft on the big screen anytime soon, it was confirmed in January 2023 that Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was set to write a TV adaptation of Tomb Raider for Amazon. In November 2024, Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner was cast to portray Lara Croft in the upcoming series. No release date nor production date has been announced yet.
Ghost of Tsushima
Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima was meant to become a movie/TV adaptation since its release in 2020. Centering around samurai Jin Sakai, the game journeys alongside him in his quest to protect Tsushima Island from the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Pairing the perfect match of intense melee combat amidst a picturesque landscape, the game received praise from critics for its story, performances, and artistic style. A sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, was announced last year and will be released in 2025.
For adaptations, the Ghost is set to spook the big and small screens, with two different adaptations in the works. In 2021, a year after its release, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions announced a film adaptation directed by John Wick series director Chad Stahelski. While the film will take on the original game’s story, it was recently announced that an anime inspired by the multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends was in development with Star Wars: Visions director Takanobu Mizuno, who is known for his work on the S1 E1 title The Duel in 2021. The film has no current release date but the anime will release in 2027 on Crunchyroll.
The Legend of Zelda
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Considered one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, The Legend of Zelda series has become a staple among Nintendo fans globally. Since the release of The Legend of Zelda in 1986, a critical and commercial success, the series has conjured 29 video games, the latest being The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in 2024. The mainline series centers on Link and his task of rescuing Princess Zelda from Ganon. While the story sounds simplistic, Nintendo has built upon this basic structure to craft a unique experience for every iteration. From a 2D dungeon crawler to an open-world action adventure, the franchise has curated some of the best video games of all time, with over eight installments considered worthy of recognition from critics and fans alike.
In November 2023, Nintendo announced a live-action Legend of Zelda film with Sony Pictures. With series creator Shigeru Miyamoto producing the project alongside Avi Arad, the film will be directed by Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball. While there have been no details on which Zelda installment the film will focus on, Ball has stated his favorite game is Ocarina of Time and he envisions the movie as a “live-action Miyazaki”, which refers to the founder of the acclaimed Studio Ghibli. No release date has been announced yet but the project will be released before 2030.
Death Stranding
Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding is another title meant for the big screen. Set within the United States following a catastrophic event, Sam Porter Bridges is tasked with delivering supplies to isolated colonies and reconnecting them together. Within the confines of this title lies a gripping story boosted by its incredible cast, which features Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange), Léa Seydoux (Spectre), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), and Troy Baker (The Last of Us). The title was praised for its performances, visuals, and soundtrack, and has a sequel, Death Stranding 2: One the Beach, set to release for PlayStation 5 in 2025.
After the announcement of the sequel, it was reported that Hideo Kojima partnered with Barbarian EP Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios to develop and produce a Death Stranding film. In December of 2023, Kojima Productions revealed that the A24, the studio behind the Academy Award-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once will adapt Death Stranding into a live-action film. There has been no word regarding if the original cast will return or when the project will begin production.
Bioshock
Another huge game franchise will be making their screen debut in the future. The Bioshock series has been considered one of the greatest gaming franchises of all time, with each installment receiving acclaim from critics. Bioshock is set in the underwater society of Rapture, where we follow Jack, whose journey led him to the ruined city in search of something he never knew existed. Without giving too much away, the story dives into Jack’s past and why he was meant to be in Rapture instead of on the surface. Given the project’s success, two more titles were released, the latest being Bioshock: Infinite in 2013.
There have been two previous attempts to bring this series to the surface, one was announced in 2008 with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski attached with Universal Pictures but was abandoned after large budget concerns became apparent. A second attempt was announced by Netflix in 2022, with Take-Two and Vertigo Entertainment attached along with The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence at the helm. At 2024’s San Diego Comic Con, producer Roy Lee reconfirmed that the project was still in development and would have a reduced budget for a more personal point of view.
God of War
There is nothing quite like a brutal action game steeped within Greek and Norse mythology. The God of War franchise began in 2005 with God Of War, which was praised for its graphics, story, and gameplay. The series initially started within Greek mythology, where a Spartan warrior named Kratos followed a path of vengeance against the Olympian god, but later turned to Norse mythology and followed Kratos’ path of redemption. The latest title, God of War Ragnarök, has been cited as one of the greatest games of all time and became the fastest-selling first-party title in PlayStation history with 5.1 million units sold within the first week.
The franchise has been eyed to debut on the big screen before, as game creator David Jaffe confirmed the adaptation in 2005. The project was relatively far along in 2010, with an unspecified actor cast as Kratos and two writers attached. While the film was confirmed to not be in development in 2021, a live-action TV series was announced to be in development with Amazon Prime Video. It was reported in October that the original showrunner and writers left the project as the studio wanted to go in a different direction. Currently, Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore was hired as the series writer, showrunner, and executive producer.
It Takes Two
Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two looks to split its success with a film and television series in the future. The 2021 cooperative game follows a mother and a father on the brink of divorce, who are transformed into their daughter’s living dolls, with the only way of escaping is by mending their relationship. The game garnered positive reviews from critics and multiple awards, with many citing its innovative approach to couch co-op gameplay as a major highlight.
While not much has been said about the TV series, the film adaptation officially began development in January 2022. Pat Casey and Josh Miller, known for the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films, are attached to write the movie. Amazon acquired the rights and will be a joint-venture production between Hazelight Studios, dj2 Entertainment, Amazon MGM Studios, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions. The film will be released on Amazon Prime Video and it is rumored that Johnson will star in the movie.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn is the latest gaming series to find itself moving to Hollywood. The critically acclaimed series follows a young hunter named Aloy as she explores a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machines, to uncover her past. The first installment was praised for its open-world concept, gameplay, visuals, story, and performances. Gaining the recognition of being one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 titles of all time, the series has had a sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, and a reinterpreted version of the debut title in Lego Horizon Adventures.
At CES 2025, Sony announced that a film adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn was in early development at PlayStation Productions and Columbia Pictures. The film will follow the events of the first game with the hopes of expanding into a film series later on. Many rumors have alluded to actresses Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) and Sophia Lillis (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as potential candidates for portraying Aloy.
