The film adaptation of Slocap’s martial arts video game Sifu has found its new home, with Netflix confirming that it has signed the movie, which will be produced by John Wick veteran Chad Stahelski and his 87Eleven Entertainment banner.
The 2022 beat ’em up video game, which the upcoming film will be based on, follows a martial arts student as he seeks revenge on five individuals responsible for his mentor’s murder. Possessing a magical talisman, he can be resurrected every time he dies, at the cost of ageing up with every use, which will eventually cause him to die of old age after too many resurrection attempts. As there is currently no word on the film adaptation’s plot, or if it’s animated or live-action, it’s unclear if the film will incorporate the same core elements from the game.
As reported by Deadline, T.S. Nowlin (Maze Runner, Pacific Rim Uprising) will write the film’s script, with Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg from Story Kitchen producing alongside 87Eleven Entertainment. Story Kitchen, formerly dj2 Entertainment, was behind the Sonic the Hedgehog film series and is also working on upcoming video game adaptations for Universals Shinobi and Just Cause films, along with the live-action adaptation of Sandfall Interactive’s upcoming role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Stahelski and 87Eleven also have several video game adaptations in the works, including Ghost of Tsushima for Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions, based on Sucker Punch Productions’ hit action-adventure game set in feudal Japan and Rainbow Six for Paramount Pictures, based on the Tom Clancy novel and starring Michael B. Jordan reprising his role as former Navy SEAL John Clark from 2021’s Without Remorse.
This isn’t the first time Sifu has received a transmedia adaptation either, as the game had a dedicated episode, Sifu: It Takes a Life, in Prime Video’s Secret Level anthology series. As it stands, however, the current project is still in its infancy, so no further details have been revealed yet on the upcoming film’s director, cast or release window.
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.
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