Video game Cyberpunk 2077 to get live-action movie adaptation
Image source, CD Projekt Red-
Published
A live-action movie version of smash hit video game Cyberpunk 2077 is being developed by Paramount Pictures.
The Hollywood studio is working with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, known for his work on the Transformers films, and CD Projekt Red (CDPR), the developer of the sci-fi role-playing game.
CDPR’s joint-chief executive Michał Nowakowski said in a statement, external the company was “excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise”.
Details of the film’s story, potential release date and casting information are yet to be revealed.
Despite a troubled launch in 2020, the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, which stars Keanu Reeves, has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
The John Wick star plays rockstar Johnny Silverhand, a terrorist whose consciousness is stored on a chip inside the body of main character V.
Set in Night City, a fictional metropolis in a dystopian version of California, players work to uncover a conspiracy involving the shady Arasaka megacorporation.
An expansion, Phantom Liberty, starring Idris Elba was released in 2023 and has sold more than 15 million copies, according to CDPR.
Cyberpunk has already been successfully adapted into a popular animated series – Edgerunners – with a second season due to premiere on Netflix later this month.
The streamer also produced The Witcher, an adaptation of CDPR’s massively popular fantasy role-playing series.
It originally starred former Superman actor Henry Cavill, but he was replaced by Liam Hemsworth in the show’s fourth season.
Multiple video game series have been adapted for TV and film in recent years, with more due to follow.
Two Super Mario movies, a big screen version of Minecraft and a series of Sonic the Hedgehog films have each seen global box office takings of about $1bn.
PlayStation game The Last of Us was made into a hit series by HBO, and Prime Video says its adaptation of post-apocalyptic role-playing series Fallout is one of its most-watched programmes.
Xbox maker Microsoft announced this week , externalit had created a new “XP” division to focus on licensing its games for films, theme parks and other tie-ins.
Earlier this week, Paramount Skydance completed its $110bn (£82.8bn) merger with Warner Bros Discovery.
It’s promised to release 30 films annually for the next two years, but also prompted fears over job losses and price rises for streaming services such as HBO Max and Paramount+.
Additional reporting by Peter Gillibrand.
