SNK’s vast gaming library of classic titles like Fatal Fury, Metal Slug, Art of Fighting, and Samurai Showdown are all set to receive Hollywood adaptations courtesy of The Arena, an indie production banner launched by veteran producer Erik Feig.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, these games, among other SNK titles, will be adapted into movies, TV shows, anime and manga, with The Arena key personnel Feig, former Universal executive Matt Reilly and former Crunchyroll marketing exec Markus Gerdemann hoping to expand their fan community with these projects.
At the top of the list is Fatal Fury, which is set to receive a feature film written by David S. Goyer, best known for his work on Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Batman movies and the Blade film franchise. Based on the long-running fighting game series, the film will follow two brothers, Terry and Andy Bogard, as they seek revenge against crime boss Geese Howard for murdering their adoptive father.
The Arena is also working on an animated Fatal Fury series, Fatal Fury: The Vow, which will be helmed by Skybound and focus on the training arcs of the two brothers. The series will likely be made for YouTube, a platform which The Arena sees as having the best audience reach. Finally, the studio is also working on a live-action origin story of Geese, which will be helmed by Grant Singer (Reptile), with the project set to star a younger version of the villain from its main feature counterpart.
Apart from the Fatal Fury franchise, The Arena will also develop an Art of Fighting webtoon helmed by Brandon Chen, the author behind webtoons like Double Kill and Blood System. Based on the SNK fighting game trilogy from 1992 to 1996, the webtoon is described as “an action-packed two-hander that pairs two vicious rivals together to go deep into the hardened streets of South Town to save the friend and love of their lives,” with Feig previously announcing that it will be the first title to be released and will set up the world of South Town, the fictional setting of both Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Natalie
