Every movie adaptation is bound to have its own unique set of obstacles. That's just what happens when you move from one medium to another. Maybe a comic book's art style is a huge part of its appeal. Maybe a hit book is filled with inner monologues you just can't re-create in a movie. In the case of video game adaptations, the obstacle is what happens when you remove the interactivity from something that is inherently interactive.
Thankfully that's less of a problem for The Division, a game that happens to have a fairly open-ended premise that's already primed for the big screen. It takes place in a future where New York City is in the middle of collapse thanks to a viral outbreak that spreads on Black Friday. The U.S. government quarantines the city and creates a new department, aka the Division, to restore order. The player then takes on a role of an agent for the Division and is sent around the city to suppress a rising criminal element as well as investigate who was behind the outbreak in the first place.
The games' maker, Ubisoft, is seemingly well aware that it can remove the player experience and not only keep a compelling setting and story, but one that's strong enough to attract some serious, A-level Hollywood talent. Variety reports Traffic's Stephen Gaghan has just signed on to write and direct The Division, and he's already bringing along Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain, presumably as two agents within the Division.
Ubisoft has only just begun to package and sell the project to studios, so it won't happen anytime soon. But considering the names involved, we'll be surprised if it doesn't attract studio interest. In the meantime, they've got Splinter Cell starring Tom Hardy in the works at Fox.
