Detective Pikachu’s Rob Letterman to helm Beyond Good & Evil
After bringing to life the world of Nintendo’s Pokémon on the big screen with the box office smash Detective Pikachu, Rob Letterman is returning to the world of video games by signing on to helm the adaptation of Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil at Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Originally released in November 2003, Beyond Good & Evil was set in the 25th century on a remote mining planet currently under alien attack, while the military rulers that were sworn to defend the population are possibly in bed with the invaders, and photojournalist Jade must partner up with an underground resistance movement to reveal the conspiracy and save the planet.
No writers are currently attached to the project, with Letterman and the streaming platform currently searching for the creative talent to bring the cult game to life, but sources report the film will be a hybrid live-action/animated feature, nothing new for the 49-year-old filmmaker as he used a similar approach to bring the Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith-starring mystery adventure to life.
Jason Altman and and Margaret Boykin are currently attached to produce the project for Ubisoft Film & Television, becoming the sixth film title currently in the works from the video game publisher’s subsidiary. Other titles include the long-in-development adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon from Michael Bay at Warner Bros., Tom Clancy’s The Division helmed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) and starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) also at Netflix, Rabbids from Todd Strauss-Schulson (Isn’t It Romantic) and Matt Senreich (Robot Chicken) at Lionsgate, Just Dance at Screen Gems and Werewolves Within with Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Sam Richardson (Detroiters) and Michaela Watkins (Sword of Trust) starring and Mishna Wolff writing and Josh Ruben directing.
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The original game was considered a massive critical success upon release, earning rave reviews for its animation, setting, story and design while receiving some criticism for its combat and technical issues and was even nominated for Game of the Year at the 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards, but unfortunately it was a financial disappointment, with blame being aimed at everything from an oversaturated market and reliance on established franchises to it being too odd a title for consumers at the time.
It would go on to garner a major cult following, leading to a full HD remaster in 2011 that proved popular enough with consumers that the publisher is now working on a prequel.