Modern Gaming Hobbyist

Yep. That’s right. There is a Pac-Man movie being made apparently. Michael Thompson, over at ArsTech reported recently that Steven Paul managed to get $200 million to fund five films. Paul, the producer responsible for movies like Ghost Rider and Bratz, announced that his company, Crystal Sky Pictures, is going to produce these five films.

What are these five films you ask? An unnamed sequel to Hard Boiled (the movie that inspires John Woo’s Stranglehold), Tekken, Castlevania, and a movie version of Pac-Man. Plot summaries after the break.

Tekken

Set in 2039, the film promises non-stop high flying action as the greatest fighters from around the world come to compete in the last and greatest sporting event of all time – the Fist Tournament. After World Wars destroy much of civilization as we know it, the remaining territories are no longer run by governments, but by corporations the mightiest of which is Tekken. In order to keep the masses down, Tekken sponsors the Iron Fist Tournament in which fighters compete to the death for ultimate glory and receive a lifetime of stardom and wealth.

We are introduced to this violent world through the eyes of Jin Kazama, a street fighter that enters the tournament in order to avenge the death of his mother that he blames upon Tekken’s powerful and controlling Chairman – Heihachi Mishima. He knows that the only way to get close enough to Mishima to kill him is to win the tournament. With the help of Lucas, an ageing Iron Fist Champion and fight trainer, Jin makes his way through the tournament, but in doing so, he begins to uncover his own past and inner demons as well as exposing a dark underbelly to Tekken that threatens the very existence of humanity. With futuristic and imaginative sets, a compelling story, and fight sequences combining fighting styles from all over the world – TEKKEN is in line to become one of the greatest action films of all time…

Castlevania

Set in gothic Transylvania, CASTLEVANIA is a Fantasy/Action Epic with a haunting love story surrounding the origins of the young dark prince, Dracula. Dracula has spent decades searching the world for the reincarnation of his beloved wife. He believes he has finally tracked her down in a simple gypsy girl named Aurica, but when a group of rogue knights, led by Simon Belmont, stumble upon Dracula’s castle and come between Dracula and his true love, they awaken the monster within. CASTLEVANIA is based on the blockbuster videogame of the same name which was created by game giant Konami.

Pac-Man

P’ak, a powerful warrior from a different reality, is banished to our version of Earth by a traitorous general bent on usurping the throne of P’ak’s world.

Stuck on our planet, P’ak ends up befriending quantum physicist Ernest and his young daughter, as well as developing a romantic entanglement with tribal tattoo artist Pepper. The three eventually help our hero return home, where he ends up saving the day and then bringing Pepper across the dimensional barrier to live happily ever after with him. Apparently, the P’ak is going to be a ripped guy for most of the movie, but his ceremonial armor will be a a close approximation to the round body we know from the video games.

Is it just me or does that plot sound absolutely ridiculous? Apparently, it was leaked by an insider who said the movie was a complete re-imagining of the franchise. Whether or not the source is reliable or not, a movie about Pac-man can really only be ridiculous. A Castlevania movie however does have the potential to become good. I guess we’ll have to see…