Mega Man Movie in the Works at 20th Century Fox
Most Hollywood adaptations of video games have been bad. Even the best are only pretty average or just decent. However, that does not keep Hollywood producers from trying. Not to mention, studios have no problem spending in the lower six-to-seven figure range to develop video game properties into movies. One such property is Capcom’s very own Blue Bomber, Mega Man. According to a report by The Tracking Board, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment have licensed the Mega Man film rights, and are developing a film version based on the franchise.
Currently, Man of Action and Dentsu Entertainment USA are producing a new animated series for the character that is set to debut in 2017. However, a movie is whole other issue entirely. Details on the project are slim, but currently David Ready and Michael Finfer are overseeing the project for the company, and Chernin (Fantastic Four) is attached to produce the film. Mike Ireland and Ryan Horrigan are overlooking the film on the Fox side.
So what does this mean? Right now, not a whole heck of a lot. These types of deals get reported and signed a lot. However, developing a property is not the same as greenlighting it to go into production. Studios might spend in a certain range to develop a bunch of these properties, but even less of the time are they pushed forward in front of the camera. Not to mention, video game based properties do not have a great track record.
In addition, Mega Man is a story that will be hard for handle to get a hold on. It follows the benevolent Dr. Light, who builds an android, Rock, who assumes the role of Mega Man to battle the evil Dr. Wily and his Robot Master minions. The story works very well in a video game and sometimes even an animated setting, but converting it into a live-action scenario would be a lot more difficult. It is not exactly the same as bringing Captain America and Iron Man to the screen.
In terms of the film’s release, do not hold your breath. Developing a tentpole film like this could take years. Not to mention, studio executives still might not see fit to give it the green light, which is what something like this needs to actually go from script to screen.