Wondercon 2016: Talking Adaptating Games To The Big Screen With ‘Ratchet & Clank’
As the first of at least two films scheduled to release based on Playstation’s biggest first party titles, Ratchet & Clank has the potential to change the way we look at video game movies. These big screen adaptations have left gamers burned enough times that the audience is more than a little wary every time Hollywood decides to take one of their beloved universes, and turn it into something that often shares little in common with the source material. But rising from the ashes of such classic game to film moments such as that ridiculous first person scene in Doom, whatever the hell the Super Mario Bros. film was supposed to be, and anything associated with the name Uwe Boll, R&C is aiming to be faithful to the universe it took the developers at Insomniac 14 years to develop while leaving its own mark in the process.
From left to right: Bella Throne, David Kaye, James Arnold Taylor, Brad Foxhoven and Kevin Munroe
During the Wondercon panel covering the film, director, Kevin Munroe, and producer, Brad Foxhoven, discussed at length about how seriously they took the challenge of getting the spirit of the game right in the within the constraints of a 90 minute movie. When the team found out they would be working on a Sony project, they were big fans of the Playstation brand and would have been willing to work on anything they presented them. Sony initially gave the team Ratchet as a test piece before moving forward with an actual commitment to a film, but they ended up doing so well with it, the company ended up deciding to have the team work on expanding that test into the first Playstation film project.
To make sure the project would be led with the level of care it would need to bring such a beloved franchise like Ratchet & Clank to life, members from the team at Insomniac were brought in to oversee the movie’s development. Naturally, we can’t talk about these games without the plethora of weapons that the series has become known for, which is why Munroe and Foxhaven promise a few surprises in this department. Featuring certain favorites like the Buzz Blades, Combustor and Fusion Grenades in a brief clip, finding out what makes the cut is one of the aspects of the movie that we’re looking forward to most.
Despite being based on the duo’s origins from the original PS2 game, one goal that was aimed for was integrating the first chapter of the series with much of the lore introduced in later games, namely the Future line of games that started on the PS3. Because of this, some of the story elements would be changed to reference characters, organizations and events that originally wouldn’t appear until much later. When it comes to the game based on the movie, (that’s based on a game,) that version is based on the film from franchise favorite, Captain Qwark’s perspective, adding an extra layer to this new launching point.. How big these big screen changes will be remains to be seen, but with so much attention going towards creating an authentic adaptation, it’s looking like the final product will be in safe hands. Even still, the biggest focus will be on establishing the relationship between Ratchet and Clank, which has served as the backbone of the franchise since the beginning.
The most obvious change however, comes with the many new characters debuting in the theatrical version. While James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward reprise their video game roles as Ratchet, Clank and Qwark respectively, the duo’s first nemesis, Chairman Drek, has been cast as Paul Giamatti. In terms of the film exclusive cast, John Goodman plays Grimroth, Ratchet’s father figure, Rosario Dawson as Elaris, the brains behind the Galactic Rangers, Sylvester Stallone as Victor Von Ion, Drek’s robotic bodyguard and antagonist to Clank, and Bella Throne as Cora, a no nonsense member of the Rangers who works alongside Ratchet. For those who might be worried that the Hollywood stars might not be as passionate about the franchise as the longtime fans are, Thorne was part of the panel and proclaimed many times how excited she was to get the role since her brother is a big gamer, while feeling the pressure to help make Cora’s addition a natural fit into this world.
With Ratchet & Clank releasing in theaters soon, what does the future hold for the team? While Sly Cooper is next in line for the big screen treatment, Munroe and Foxhoven are hoping to work on a Jak & Daxter adaptation if they got their choice. From what I’ve seen so far of their first attempt, I’m thinking that would be a project worth getting excited for.
From Gramercy Pictures, Ratchet & Clank will arrive in theaters on April 29th.
