Updates On The ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie & Why It Sounds Promising!
So fun fact: There’s a Metal Gear Solid movie in development! Now there’s plenty of reasons you might not know about/ remember this film announcement. For starters, talk of this movie has been happening since 2006 so by now it’s fair to think it’s never happening. Another reason could be because video game-based films don’t have the best track record. That being said, the planned Metal Gear Solid movie is looking like it might be the first – and might be underway in the production department as well!
Rumors have been flying about this project for over a decade, but a few years ago (2014) a director was finally attached to it: Jordan Vogt-Roberts. At the time, he was best known for the film The Kings of Summer; but now you’ll probably know him for Kong: Skull Island as well as that live action Destiny 2 commercial – which I’ll talk about in depth in a bit. As you can imagine, Jordan got pretty busy with all his other work; but now as things are settling down, it looks like he’s ready to take on Metal Gear Solid. Though all this time spent on other projects has not been for nothing. Remember how long we waited for Ant-Man – which was announced before the first Ironman? Good things come to those who wait, and all of Jordan’s recent projects have given him immense insight into how to approach Metal Gear Solid.
At his heart, Jordan is a huge video game fan. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Jordan revealed:
“The influence they (video games) have had on me as a person, as a filmmaker, it’s so intense and intimate and rewired my brain at a very young age – the language of the way video games work is so important. Video games I’ve played are as influential to me as films that I’ve watched.”
And it’s this love of video games that is the most important aspect in creating a film like Metal Gear Solid. Video Games use a slightly different lens to tell a story than film, so it’s important to be aware of that and know how you can properly translate the story, world and action into film while still remaining true to the source. Now this could all be “talk” from Jordan, but his recent work on the live action Destiny 2 trailer shows that he has everything it takes to make a wonderful video game movie. The tone, characters and overall story emphasis in this Destiny 2 trailer was spot on! It actually looked like it came straight out of the game itself. So if Jordan can do that with Destiny – a game that only recently began giving people memorable story – can he do the same with a franchise that has been around for 30 years and spanned over half a century of stories?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSxElWwWVFE
Well we might not know that until the film comes out, but judging by Jordan’s comments and feelings on the series, he’s off to a great start! As many Metal Gear Solid fans know, Hideo Kojima split from Konami in 2015. Jordan acknowledges that Metal Gear is Konami’s property, but he knows that it is very much the work and spirit of Kojima that made it what it is today.
“I will always be making this movie to interpret and service the world that Kojima made. That’s why all of us care about the words Metal Gear Solid. Regardless of their split – Kojima and I have become friends and colleagues, and it’s important to me to shepherd something that he’d be proud of.” – Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Eurogamer
The fact that Jordan is making that distinction and has such a close tie to Kojima is incredibly important. And I’m sure Konami wants to make sure this film is worthy of bearing the name of one of its most well known franchises as well. Beyond these instances of “promising news”, barely anything is known about the film itself. Though Jordan did reveal to Eurogamer that the film won’t be a direct adaptation of any one game; but rather a blending of a couple different Metal Gear storylines all drawn together by a pretty interesting – and “very Kojima” – approach.
Whatever he has in store for us, I’m excited! With something this important, it’s better for him to take his time and get the film right. He knows the stakes are high and the last thing people need is another lackluster video game film. So much like the game itself, the patient approach might just pay off – sneaking around in cardboard boxes optional!
Joe primarily covers video games news (i.e.: Pokemon, Spyro & Destiny) as well as the occasional ‘Theory Thursday’ pieces. Before writing for FanFest, Joe was the Creator & Editor of TheInsightfulPanda.com. He is also an illustrator and is currently working on Season 3 of his not-for-profit, fan-art crossover series PokéRangers on Instagram.
