Along with several other properties, EA is developing its new Dead Space series into a live-action feature film. They previously produced a prequel anime called Dead Space: Downfall that coincided with the game’s release. Now D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye) is onboard to direct and they’re taking pitches from writers. The expectation is to have a writing team and creative direction chosen by September so that the film can be auctioned to the studios.
For those not in the know, Dead Space is about an engineer, Isaac Clarke, who arrives on a mining spaceship to find that it is heavily damaged and infested with Necromorphs, which are mostly corpses turned into violent, spindly creatures by a virus-like lifeform unearthed during the mining expedition. Naturally the shuttle that brings Isaac is also damaged in the arrival, so he and his crew must figure out a way off. The concept owes a lot to Alien and as in those films, in Isaac’s battle to fix the ships and destroy the Necromorph infestation he will encounter opposition from human groups with other motives and interests. Another key aspect to the game’s story is that Isaac’s girlfriend was on the ship and the questions about her survival.
I really loved the game, and I think the story could work out well enough on film provided it remains centered on an isolated Isaac. Keep viewers thinking from Isaac’s subjectivity as he’s forced to explore the ship, repair its systems and fight off the Necromorphs while communicating with the few survivors. Of course, keep the bigger picture unspooling throughout the film giving Isaac and viewers a look into what the Necromorphs are, how they got onto the ship and how the infestation began. I think Eden Log functioned a pretty similar level, with the audience following a character who knows nothing about his environment but slowly puts the pieces together while meeting a couple survivors and watching video logs left by the crew. Eden Log shares a lot of similarities with the likes of Dead Space and BioShock with regard to storytelling techniques, and I really liked that one so there’s proof it’ll work.
What I’m not confident about is D.J. Caruso being the director. Now, I’ve only seen Eagle Eye of his films, but I despised it on several levels. A lot of that fell on the writers, but the direction was basically a functional and slightly less flamboyant imitation of Michael Bay’s style. Suffice to say, it’s not really my cup of tea. Dead Space has its big, chaotic action moments but it’s the desolate, creepy atmosphere that makes everything work. Maybe, hopefully, if Caruso stays with this and it eventually gets made he can surprise me.
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