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Sony Pictures is giving a Metal Gear Solid movie another run, with Final Destination: Bloodlines directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein tackling a new live-action adaptation of the tactical stealth action game franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lipovsky and Stein landed the gig directing Metal Gear Solid thanks to a fresh first-look deal at Sony, where they’re also working on an animated movie based on Spider-Man anti-hero Venom.
“Metal Gear Solid was nothing short of a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece that forever revolutionized video games,” Lipovsky and Stein said in a statement published by THR. “We are thrilled and honored to bring Hideo Kojima’s iconic characters and unforgettable world to life.”
Lipovsky and Stein’s filmography to date is eclectic. In addition to last year’s franchise-reviving Final Destination: Bloodlines and the 2018 sci-fi thriller Freaks, the pair have worked on kid-friendly fare like Kim Possible for Disney and Fraggle Rock for Apple. Lipovsky does have a video game adaptation under his belt already, though. He directed the 2015 straight-to-Crackle Dead Rising: Watchtower, an adaptation of Capcom’s tongue-in-cheek zombie horror franchise that starred Jesse Metcalfe and featured Rob Riggle as Frank West.
Behind the scenes on Final Destination: Bloodlines with Tony Todd, the cast, and directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein
The directing duo has also reportedly written for Chris Columbus’ Gremlins 3, where they’ll split the difference between gruesome horror and kid appeal.
The father-son team of Avi Arad and Ari Arad are producing the new Metal Gear Solid movie. They’ve been trying for more than a decade to get a Metal Gear Solid flick made, including a notable previous attempt with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) attached to direct and Oscar Isaac eyed to star. That version isn’t happening anymore, but it wouldn’t be the first failed attempt to adapt MGS; Hideo Kojima himself announced plans for a live-action Metal Gear Solid movie as far back as 2006.
Kojima hasn’t been involved with the Metal Gear franchise for more than a decade now. He left Konami in 2015 to form a new studio, Kojima Productions, which is best known for the Death Stranding games. There’s a good chance that Kojima’s Death Stranding movie will beat the latest attempt at Metal Gear Solid to theaters. A24 is deep into producing its Death Stranding adaptation, with A Quiet Place: Day One and Pig director Michael Sarnoski at the helm.
There’s no release date, writer, or casting details for Metal Gear Solid yet. But with more and more video game-to-movie adaptations in the works, and many netting big box office returns, maybe Sony Pictures can actually make Metal Gear Solid happen this time. After all, it’s the company that finally made the Legend of Zelda movie a reality.
