Mega Man Movie News: Could Fox Finally Create Video Game Movie Classic?
Nintendo recently made a big splash by announcing that it could potentially follow Marvel in creating its own cinematic universe. Yet, Nintendo will not be the first to make a big bold move in the world of film.
Instead, 20th Century has announced that a Mega Man movie is in the works, certainly pre-empting the upcoming domination by big name video game characters in the medium.
Mega Man is a superhero who certainly belongs in the same pantheon as the likes of Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda and Samus, not only because he battled those characters in the recent Super Smash Bros, but because his name was one of the most notable during the industry's early years.
Putting Mega Man in a movie is undoubtedly a move that could jump-start the game-to-movie industry, which has never really gotten started. Of course, that depends on good execution by a capable production company.
That begs the question: Is Fox the company that should tackle a project of such import?
It is a loaded question, which has a positive or negative answer depending on who you ask and what projects you look at.
If you look at the "Fantastic Four" franchise and the poor box office of the recent reboot, then the answer would undoubtedly be: "Get Mega Man away from Fox."
However, if you look at the company's treatment of the "X-Men" franchise (or is it Bryan Singer?) and the "Planet of the Apes" reboots, then there is more reason to hope for a strong transition.
Fox is also slated to distribute the hotly anticipated Assassin's Creed movie, and that should be the barometer to measure the potential of a Mega Man movie. Video game adaptations have always been disasters, with no film yet able to establish itself as a classic.
Could Mega Man be the first and thus make 20th Century the video game company-movie to admire?