Ubisoft announced that it will develop and publish the videogame based on Paramount Pictures' and Shangri-La Ent.'s BEOWULF, the upcoming performance capture feature from Robert Zemeckis. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary adapted the legend for the screen. The film is produced by Steve Starkey, Zemeckis and Jack Rapke. The exec producers are Martin Shafer, Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman.
"Ubisoft is excited to be partnering with Paramount Pictures and Shangri-La, and the creative teams at ImageMovers, to leverage the BEOWULF movie assets and storylines and extend them into the interactive videogame universe," said Yves Guillemot, ceo of Ubisoft. "Ubisoft has quickly become an industry leader in creating high-quality movie-based video games that deliver a compelling experience to both casual and hardcore gamers alike."
In a time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf slays the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of its monstrous, yet seductive, mother in a conflict that transforms a king into a legend. The film stars Ray Winstone in the title role and Anthony Hopkins as the corrupt King Hrothgar, as well as John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother.
"BEOWULF is particularly well-suited for the videogame format," adds Zemeckis. "Not only does the film have a compelling story and strong visual style that will translate well into a game, but because the film is entirely digital, we are able to share our assets with Ubisoft. Audiences will be able to make a seamless transition between the film and the game."
"Robert Zemeckis and Ubisoft represent creative leaders in their fields and we're thrilled to be collaborating with exceptional filmmakers and game development talent," said Sandi Isaacs, svp, interactive & mobile at Paramount Digital Ent. "We are confident the epic story of 'Beowulf' will not only translate in to a phenomenal movie, but also a compelling video game experience."
The game is expected to release in conjunction with the movie's planned opening in November 2007. Visit www.beowulfmovie.com for more information on the film.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
