Last night, HBO Max released the first episode of the major investment “The Last of Us”, which is based on one of the most critically acclaimed game series of all time on Playstation. Recently, competitor Amazon Prime also secured the right to make a series of the blockbuster game “God of War”. There will be several game-based TV series and films in the pipeline in the future, including a new and star-studded Super Mario film. We can thank the success of the Netflix series “Arcane: League of Legends” and “The Witcher” that we now see more game culture seeping into Hollywood, says news’s game critic Rune Fjeld Olsen. – These series have really set off a wave and led to more directors and producers looking at popular gaming universes. SWIPE ON: The Super Mario Bros movie flopped in 1993. Exactly 30 years later, a new movie is on its way, with Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario. Photo: Nintendo The big game “Horizon Zero Dawn” will get its own Netflix series, if all goes according to plan. Photo: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT Amazon Prime is planning a TV series on the popular post-apocalyptic series “Fallout”. Photo: Bethesda Softworks / Microsoft – These series must succeed As the gaming field has become an increasingly large and important part of popular culture, the adaptations to film and TV have increased in strength in recent years. – If there is to be a bigger wave, a lot depends on the success of “God of War”, “Mass Effect” and “The Last of Us”. If these series manage to do that, the floodgates to other game universes will really be opened, Fjeld Olsen believes. He is supported by Filmpolitiet’s series critic Marte Hedenstad, who gave the TV adaptation of “The Last of Us” a strong five. – If the big titles are successful, it will probably continue to flood, she says. Here’s some of what’s planned:Series: God of War – Amazon PrimeFallout – Amazon Prime.Mass Effect – Amazon PrimeAssassins Creed – NetflixSonic: Knuckles spin off – Paramount+Horizon Zero Dawn – NetflixArcane: League of Legends Season 2 – NetflixMovies :Super Mario Bros.MinecraftDeath StrandingGran TurismoBioshockSonic 3 For over five decades we have had computer games in the living room and during all these years we have seen several “game movies”. Some will remember the fiasco “Super Mario Bros.” (1993) with Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper, “Tomb Raider” (2001) with Angelina Jolie, or Dwayne Johnson in the shooter classic “Doom” in 2005? In the past year alone, we’ve seen “Uncharted” and “Sonic 2” do well in theaters, while Microsoft’s flagship game “Halo” finally got an adaptation in the form of a lame TV series. For every attempt that can be considered a success, far more flops have been made. It is this bad trend that streaming services and film companies must reverse. – If you look back to the first Mario movie in the 90s and up to today, I think a lot has gone bad because filmmakers haven’t taken the games seriously. They appear more like attempts to make money by exploiting popularity, says Marte Hedenstad. Today, there is a greater and more genuine desire to make good stories, says news’s series critic. – The biggest challenge now is to detach enough from the original work to make it suitable for TV and film, without losing fans along the way. Do we really need this? A question that has come up in the wake of all the news about game to TV adaptations is whether we really need copies of the same stories. – It may feel unnecessary for those who have played the games, but there are many who do not play computer games who can now experience good stories. If they succeed, it will certainly bring together the game fans as well, says Hedenstad. She adds that she believes there are greater possibilities than simply recreating popular stories. – The animation series “Arcane” is a very good example of something that expands the universe more than the games themselves can manage. It is one thing to translate a story-driven game that is already close to the film medium, quite another to dramatize games that do not have as strong a focus on story. HÆ, IT WAS GREAT: P3’s reviewer was surprised by the quality when she was going to review “Arcane: League of Legends”.Netflix In the future, TV and film entertainment will give us some interesting answers, news’s critics believe. – Computer games have approached the film medium more and more. “God of War” and “The Last of Us” are examples of stories that I think would work no matter where they were told. With the TV series, we get an answer to whether this is actually true, says Rune Fjeld Olsen. Norwegian viewers can make up their minds in connection with the first episode of “The Last of Us” being released on Monday. – The TV series will do well. I have seen the first five episodes, and although I have not yet been as strongly influenced by the series as by the original game, it is still an incredibly well-told drama that graces the TV schedule, says Marte Hedenstad. Want more game-based TV and movie series? Amazon Prime will make ten episodes of the last two “God of War” games, where father and son go to war against Norse gods.SANTA MONICA STUDIO Interested in more game content? Check these out:
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Game heroes will become the new film and TV stars – news Culture and entertainment
