Ghost of Tsushima was one of 2020’s biggest PlayStation launches – a game that looked and played like no other. In March 2021, Sony confirmed what many gamers had long predicted. Sucker Punch Productions’ katana-wielding hit was in development for a film adaptation…
Now, we know all too well that great games don’t always translate to box office magic. The specific player-formed narratives don’t often unfold so smoothly on the big screen. Could Ghost of Tsushima finally bridge that storytelling divide, between console and cinema?
Let’s examine what we know so far:
Expect High Quality Action
We know that the project is still in its infancy, but as video game adaptations go it doesn’t get much bigger or more exciting than this one. First off, the stuntman-turned-director at the helm of Tsushima is none other than Chad Stahelski, who brought us all four of the immensely popular John Wick films. He is also the master of artistic violence who served as second unit director on Captain America: Civil War.
After a long period of media silence, Stahelski offered fans another new update on the film. He explained in an interview with IGN that he and his team were paying close attention to the source material, and further stated: “We just want to do it right. You know how video game adaptions can go. So we’re taking our time and doing it right.”
Stahelski went on to say that they were working closely with the game developers to retain their vision and preserve what so many players already loved about the game. To give you some idea of the stage they’re at – the script was still being written at the time of the interview, in late 2021. So, we may have to wait for a while before we see any viscera-daubed samurai at our local theatre. They also hadn’t committed to any concrete casting decisions – though fans have rallied behind Daisuke Tsuji who played the game’s protagonist, Jin – and were yet to settle on a firm release date.
It seems our wait will be rewarded with lots more information throughout the course of 2022 (maybe even our first trailer). While the film gains traction and continues its steady journey into production.
No Time Like The Present
Mortal Kombat, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Uncharted have all been raising the bar for successful video game adaptations. We also know that the famously cinematic The Last of Us Part II PlayStation exclusive is hitting HBO in the form of an episodic TV show. In fact, there really couldn’t be a better time to be bringing a video game to the film-goer market. Especially when that game is so clearly rooted in cinematic origins. In fact, Tsushima even had its very own ‘Kurosawa mode’ to honour of the iconic director of Seven Samurai.
