Netflix’s live-action Gears of War movie is now one step closer to becoming a reality following the news Dune and Doctor Strange screenwriter Jon Spaihts has been hired to handle the script.
Netflix announced it had acquired the rights to adapt Gear of War into movie last November, following earlier unsuccessful attempts by New Line Cinema to get a live-action adaptation off the ground. That version, first trumpeted in 2007, had abandoned all pretence of being set in the game’s universe by 2019, when the project became permanently stuck in development hell.
Netflix, however, has specifically described its version as an adaptation of the Gears of War “video game saga”, suggesting it’ll be more faithful to the source material than Universal’s stalled effort – and the streaming service has now announced it’ll be down to writer Jon Spaihts, whose Dune screenplay was nominated for an Oscar, to conjure a script into being.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Jon and the Netflix team to bring Gears of War to life,” developer The Coalition said of today’s news (thanks Variety). “Jon is a master storyteller with a talent for creating epic, science-fiction universes, and he truly loves Gears of War. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to honour our franchise and deliver an authentic story to our fans.”