There's a fresh wave of videogame movies headed our way in the next few years, with Need for Speed, Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed all in active development at various Hollywood studios. Now it seems that SONY's 2006 PlayStation 2 hit, Shadow of the Colossus, may join that list. A movie version was first mooted back in 2009, but the project is gathering pace.
Last May it was announced that the director would be Josh Trank, who burst onto the scene with the found footage superhero hit Chronicle. It's now been announced that he'll be working from a script by Seth Lochhead, co-writer of the offbeat teenage assassin movie, Hanna. No release date or cast has been confirmed, but with a director and writer in place, it's surely just a matter of time.
Shadow of the Colossus is the sequel to the cult hit Ico, both the work of enigmatic Japanese developer Fumito Ueda. It follows the story of a young knight who must roam the world on horseback, seeking out sixteen giant beasts and killing them in order to resurrect a girl. Melancholy and atmospheric, it's long been used as one of the key arguments in favour of games being a legitimate artform. Hollywood doesn't usually combine giant monsters with subtle emotions and moods, but there's always a first time.
If you want to try the game before the movie comes along, SONY re-released both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in an HD compilation for PlayStation 3 in 2011. Fumito Ueda's next game, The Last Guardian, is now in its sixth year of development, leaving fans bursting with anticipation.