XIII: The Movie (TV Mini-series actually)
I’m shocked but also appalled that one of my all time favourite video games is being made into a movie/tv mini-series.
XIII is an upcoming 2009 TV Mini-series based on the XIII comic book series by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, revolving around an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. The series is directed by Duane Clark and will star Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff, filmed in Hamilton, Ontario.
Shocked
So why am I shocked? For a start, the game bombed. It was a financial failure. This is why I have spent the past 5 years waiting for a sequel that will never come.
Appalled
And what appalled me about this news is the wishy washy way in which the film appears to have been made. First was a full blown blockbuster movie with a top cast and large budget. Now its a TV mini series that sounds like a bad episode of 24!
Also, Stephen Dorf? What was wrong with giving the lead part to David Duchovny who did an excellent job voicing the character in the game?
I think what pisses me off most of all however is the fact that they bothered at all.
Most of the XIII plot has already been done in 2 previous movies, The Borne Identity and The Manchurian Candidate.
There simply is no need for the movie to ever be made.
The game however should have had at least a couple of sequels funded. The cell shading effect could really flourish on next-gen machines.
Hmmm, XIII is based on a french or belgian comic which did start out pretty close to the Bourne plot but went to a totally different direction for several episodes. If you have seen the comic or played the game, you should know that XIII does not look like David Duchovny even though he voiced him in the game. I think Dorf looks pretty close to XIII though I would prefer Mark Walhberg.
The game had an okay reaction from gamers, plus the comic is really big in French speaking countries. Seeing that the production involved M6 and Canal + which are French tv channels, I think the real target is Francophones.
Comment by Wulfette Noire — October 6, 2008 @ 9:18 pm