It is being reported that film studios Vertigo and Prime Universe are in talks to develop the popular stealth-action series Thief into a film. A Dark Project movie at last!
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The film website the Tracking Board picked up the exclusive scoop. The film will be produced by Adrian Askarieh, who previously also produced the, let's face it, quite terrible Hitman adaptation back in 2007. The film starred Timothy Olyphant as a poorly cast Agent 47 and is generally awful. The series is currently undergoing a soft reboot starring Rupert Friend as the titular Hitman. The film is simply titled Agent 47 and is scheduled for release next February.
Thief follows Garrett, a snarky, witty rogue as he navigates the perilous streets of an unnamed medieval steampunk city. Cunning, stealthy and ruthless, Garrett contends with the three factions that control the level of order and chaos in the city. It's a great role for whoever is ultimately cast, as it gives him the chance to be more charming than your average Hollywood hero.
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The first game,Thief: The Dark Project was released in 1999 and was met with near universal acclaim. The game was one of the first to focus heavily on the 'stealth' part of the 'stealth action' genre, forcing players to weight their options in how to approach a situation. Combat was difficult, as you were not meant to just blast your way through levels. Two sequels followed, Thief II: The Metal Age and Thief: Deadly Shadows. Earlier this year, Eidos Montreal released a reboot simply entitled Thief to mixed reviews.
Garrett joins other popular stealth hero Sam Fisher in the move to the big screen. The Splinter Cell movie is currently underway and is being directed by Doug Liman and stars Tom Hardy as the man with the fifth freedom.
One can hope that they can successfully translate the core mechanics of stealth and non-confrontation into a successful film. Garrett, and Sam, are excellent fighters, but if we wanted to single-handedly take on the enemy masses, we'd play DOOM instead.
Video game films have had a pretty lousy track record. Let us hope that the next crop of titles can reverse that trend.
What other video game characters or games do you want to see on the silver screen? Let us know!
