5 video game movies we can’t wait to watch

There are scores of video game movies in development, with titles like Call of Duty, Gears of War, Just Cause and Metal Gear Solid all hoping to make the leap from console to cinema screens. But there are also several games that are much further along in the process, with the following five movies either in the can, in production, or green-lit and about to start principal photography.

Mortal Kombat

Release Date: April 23, 2021

The ultra-violent action game first hit screens in 1995, but that film was far from a Flawless Victory. Now – some 26 years later – Mortal Kombat is back, only with a bigger budget, and more graphic kills. Lewis Tan plays Cole Young, an MMA fighter who must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the earth’s greatest warriors in a high-stakes battle to save his family, the planet, AND the universe.

Characters include fan favorites Kano, Sonya Blade, Jax, Lord Raiden, and Sub-Zero, while if the red-band trailer is anything to go by, the film will earn all of its R-rating. Simon McQuiod makes his directorial debut on the new Mortal Kombat, while Aquaman helmer James Wan produces.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City

Release Date: November 24, 2021

The seventh film in the Resident Evil series promises to take the story back to its terrifying roots. Horror helmer Johannes Roberts directs Kaya Scodelario (Crawl), Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy), with the storyline playing out in Raccoon City, once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella. When the company left, an evil power changed the townspeople forever, and now it’s up to a small group of survivors to uncover the truth, and last the night.

Uncharted

Release Date: February 18, 2022

Hollywood has been trying to make an Uncharted movie since 2008, with a variety of writers and directors taking a stab at the action-adventure. Indeed, it’s taken so long that Mark Wahlberg – who was originally set to play fortune hunter Nathan Drake – is now onboard as the character’s mentor Sully. Instead, Spider-Man star Tom Holland is playing Drake, with the film serving as a prequel to the games. Iron Man scribes Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have written the script, while Zombieland and Venom helmer Ruben Fleischer is directing.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

(Picture: Paramount Pictures)

Release Date: April 8, 2022

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movies hit screens in 2020, received mostly favorable reviews, and grossed nearly $320m globally, so it’s no surprise that a sequel has been fast-tracked. The behind-the-scenes team from the first film is returning, including writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, and director Jeff Fowler.

While in front of the camera Jim Carrey and James Marsden are back as Dr. Robotnik and Tom Wachowski respectively, while Ben Schwartz again lends his vocals to Sonic. There’s no word on the film’s plot yet, though with Sonic’s buddy Knuckles teased in the first film’s post-credit sting, expect the short-beaked echidna to play a prominent role in the sequel.

Borderlands

Release Date: 2022

Director Eli Roth has assembled a star-studded cast for the forthcoming Borderlands adaptation, including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jack Black, with principal photography currently underway in Hungary. The plot finds the likes of Lilith, Roland, Tiny Tina, Tannis and Krieg teaming up to battle bandits and monsters while searching for a missing girl who made hold the key to unimaginable power.

• Read more: Borderlands movie finds its Atlas, new plot details revealed

But while those characters originated in the game, there will be some changes as the property makes the transition to film, with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford explaining: “The Borderlands Cinematic Universe is not identical to the Borderlands Videogame Universe. We are authentic to characters, tone and style, but allow for independent storylines.”