John Woo is set to direct and produce NINJA GOLD, a property from videogame creator Warren Spector, the creator of DEUS EX, THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS and SYSTEM SHOCK, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Fox Atomic and Woo's Lion Rock Prods. will produce the film with Terrence Chang as the producer. Spector is the exec producer.
Set in modern times, a descendant of an ancient bloodline must adapt to more covert forms of warfare.
"The game concept is actually based on facts that the Yakuza and the Russian mob are involved in tons of gold being stolen in South Africa," Chang said.
Spector added, "The idea actually started with John Woo. He wanted to do something involving traditional ninjas in a modern-day setting, and the idea just resonated with me. I was intrigued with the idea of what happens when the traditional and the contemporary come into conflict. And, to say the least, I was very interested in working with John on a project. I'm just a huge fan."
Woo was involved in the development of the characters. No word has been announced who will publish the game, but the filmmakers hope to have the film into production next year.
"What happened with NINJA GOLD was very different and, to my mind, much cooler. I know that my thought from the start was to develop something that would work just as well in games as in movies, and I know John was thinking along the same lines," Spector said. "This was an attempt to create a concept that would work in, and be developed for, a variety of media simultaneously. That's something new for games -- and for movies."
Woo is a filmmaker who is no stranger to the world of games. He formed his own game label, Tiger Hill Games, in May 2003. The company has a publishing deal with Midway Games, which will release Tiger Hill's first title, JOHN WOO'S STRANGLEHOLD, in August on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is a sequel to Woo's film, HARD BOILDED with Chow Yun-Fat voicing the same character he played in the movie. For PS3, the game will include a Blu-ray version of HARD BOILED as well.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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