Jordan Vogt-Roberts on Metal Gear movie: It is an incredibly tricky thing to adapt because of how specific the tone is
Metal Gear’s specific tone will be difficult to adapt for the big screen, Metal Gear Solid movie director Jordan Vogt-Roberts said. “The goal is to get the script right and do justice to a movie that is unlike anything else that exists in movies or video games or anything.”
The director, who just finished his movie Kong: Skull Island, spoke with website We Got This Covered and talked a bit about the challenges of translating the series to cinema, and what the series means to him. Although we haven’t had many updates on the Metal Gear Solid movie since its announcement in 2012, Vogt-Roberts intends to make it into something special.
Metal Gear is something I’ve been attached to for a long time. It’s a movie I fought tooth and nail to try and attach myself to because it is potentially the most precious property on this Earth to me. And it is one of the most tricky and idiosyncratic properties on the planet, where the creator’s voice, Hideo Kojima, is a genius.
It would also be one of the easiest properties for Hollywood to mess up. Luckily, there are very smart producers on it. It’s the type of thing where it would be very easy for Hollywood to be like, “Oh, it’s like Mission: Impossible!” No, it’s not Mission: Impossible. “It’s like G.I. Joe!” No, it’s not G.I. Joe. Metal Gear Solid IS Metal Gear Solid and can only be Metal Gear Solid.
For fans there may be some reassurance in these words, as one of the main issues with video game based movies is that the essence gets ‘lost in translation’. Vogt-Roberts however seems to be passionate about the video game medium and with Kojima’s work in particular.
It is an incredibly tricky thing to adapt because of how specific the tone is. Kojima’s tone is so brilliant in what it does. The tone of this movie at times could take itself very seriously, be very intense, and then next moment, it can be very goofy and very sort of out there. There is no other property on the planet that I would want to protect and shepherd more than the Metal Gear Solid property.
We are working on a script and have great producers. The goal is to get the script right and do justice to a movie that is unlike anything else that exists in movies or video games or anything. It’s one of the most influential properties in my life. And I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know the creator over the last couple of years. Just to be able to spend time with him is great.
Obviously the movie is still a ways off, but it’s good to see someone who actually cares about the series at the helm of this project, although the result still remains to be seen.
Source: We Got This Covered
