Action Video Game Just Cause Getting Movie Adaptation From DC Director & John Wick Producer

Summary Just Cause, an action video game, is getting a movie adaptation with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto.

The production team includes 87North (John Wick), Story Kitchen (Sonic the Hedgehog), and Universal.

Despite past challenges for developing the game series, there are promising signs for this attempt due to the director and production teams.

Action-adventure video game Just Cause is getting a movie adaptation from a DC superhero film director, with the production company behind John Wick also attached. The video game series focuses on secret agent Rico Rodriguez, who goes on various missions for the fictional country of Medici, landing on a new island for every game. A Just Cause movie adaptation has been kicked around Hollywood since 2010, with multiple actors and directors attached at various points throughout its development history.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter has stated Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto is attached to an upcoming Just Cause film adaptation. In addition, Kelly McCormick and David Leitch will act as producers through their company 87North, best known for their work on the John Wick series, Nobody and most recently The Fall Guy. Story Kitchen, the production company behind the Sonic the Hedgehog films, is also involved, with the movie being made and distributed by Universal.

What To Expect From A Just Cause Movie

The Movie's New Team Is Perfect For The Game's Tone

Despite the success of the video game franchise, work on a film adaptation has been a major challenge in Hollywood. In March 2017, it had been reported that Jason Momoa would star in the film while Brad Peyton (San Andreas) would direct. However, by July 2020, there was no word on Momoa's official casting in the movie, while Michael Dowse (Stuber) had taken over directorial duties. Despite these constant switches, it was still considered one of many video game movie adaptations that were in active development.

However, this latest development is a very good sign, as the duo of Soto's directing coupled with the action-focused 87North Productions is promising for its story. A key draw of the Just Cause games in the level of freedom players have in their open-world settings, giving them unique opportunities for exploration and creativity for how Rico kills his enemies. Because of this, the movie will likely feel on par with 87North's Nobody, and can pull a similar tone from Blue Beetle in its execution thanks to the director.

With video game adaptations like the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the long-awaited Minecraft movie set to debet soon, it appears the Hollywood landscape is ripe for video game adaptations. The most well-received ones also cater to fans of the games, something Just Cause will need to do in order to succeed. Given the team behind it and the tone of the games they'll be adapting, it appears a fitting pairing has finally been found for the video game movie.

The Just Cause video game series is developed by Avalanche Studios.

Source: THR