Metal Gear Solid Film Adaptation Still Happening According To Producer

Sony Pictures has been developing the film adaptation of Konami's Metal Gear Solid series for almost two decades. Although the project has reportedly been picked up for the past few years, audiences have yet to learn anything new about it.

Producer Ari Arad recently spoke to Brian Crecente for his latest newsletter, in which Arad provided some updates on the project's status. While the updates are pretty promising, with Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts still attached to the project, rumors are circulating that Sony may be back looking for their Solid Snake.

Speaking to Crecente for the Game newsletter, Arad provided the current state of development for the Metal Gear Solid adaptation, which "that work was proceeding on the film. We're working on the script some more, but I can't talk about it yet. I think everyone's going to be really excited and surprised."

Arad further added in response to whether the Metal Gear Solid film could be his crowning achievement of gaming adaptations, which he's also producing the Zelda adaptation for Nintendo, he "never thought about it like that." Citing that his main focus is to get these films done "as good as possible," he believes that "getting Metal Gear right will obviously be amazing because I think it's a lot more meditative than some of the other adaptations."

While Arad wants the Metal Gear Solid film adaptation to "be terrific," the project may be moving forward without its lead actor, Oscar Isaac. It's currently being speculated that the actor has moved on from the project; however, it has yet to be confirmed since Isaac's last comments on the project came during the red-carpet premiere event for Marvel Studios' Moon Knight series in 2022.

When speaking to IGN about where the project was in development, Isaac commented: "We're searching, we're searching like Solid Snake. We're climbing through air ducts; we're looking for the story."

The Metal Gear Solid film adaptation was first announced by its creator, Hideo Kojima, in 2006 (h/t Eurogamer) before it went through a decades-long developmental hell with multiple directors and actors tied to the project. It then received support from the Arad brothers to produce the film in 2012 before Deadline reported that Vogt-Roberts had been penciled in as its director and after that, multiple screenwriters prepared a treatment for the film, including writer Jay Basu, and Isaac's involvement was confirmed.