Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing
Having worked on the Milla Jovovich-led Resident Evil franchise, helming four of the six movies, director Paul W.S. Anderson has shared his thoughts on video game adaptations for the big screen. In a recent interview, the English filmmaker bashed directors who develop adaptations without familiarizing themselves with the video games, calling their approach “outrageous.”
Paul WS Anderson says adapting games without playing is a ‘disservice’ to its fans
During his recent appearance on a podcast, the In the Lost Lands director emphasized the importance of knowing a video game inside and out before turning it into a feature-length movie.
“I think it’s important for me to be a fan,” Paul W.S. Anderson noted on Post Games. “You know, it always shocks me when directors give interviews, and they’re doing a video game movie and go, ‘Well, I never played the game.’ Like, that’s outrageous! You know, would you adapt War and Peace and say, ‘You know, I never read the book. I’ve got the script, it’s fine. I shot that. The book, I’m not interested in.”
Anderson added that doing so is actually “a disservice to the people who love the game and have invested many hours and days and months of their time into this world for you to ignore it.”
Notably, Paul W.S. Anderson has extensive experience adapting video games. He served as the director for four of the original six Resident Evil movies before the franchise underwent a reboot. Additionally, Anderson helmed the first-ever Mortal Kombat movie, which premiered in 1995.
“I always make sure the production designers I work with play the game or watch playthroughs of the game, so they know what it looks like, and the director of photography knows how the camera moves,” the 60-year-old filmmaker said. “All of those things are present in my movies because they’re present in the games that I’ve adapted.”
Moreover, Anderson stated that “Respect for the IP” and “understanding what an audience gets out of playing the game” are crucial for a good adaptation.
Meanwhile, the Resident Evil franchise is currently undergoing yet another revamping phase. Weapons director Zach Cregger is set to helm the upcoming reboot.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.net.
