Director Chad Stahelski promises the centers on Jin Sakai, the last samurai and member of his clan. Following the first Mongol invasion of Japan decimating his area and resulting in his uncle's capture and his being left for dead, Sakai must master the way of the Ghost fighting style in order to defeat the Mongol forces and save his home.
Hitting shelves in mid-2020, Ghost of Tsushima was a critical and commercial hit upon release, scoring rave reviews for its visuals, art direction, narrative and combat though its open-world design received a more mixed response. Nearly a year after its release, the game had also reached over 6.5 million copies sold and earned multiple nominations at 2020's The Game Awards, including Game of the Year and bringing home the award for Best Art Direction. Thanks to this success, Sony Pictures got to work developing a Ghost of Tsushima film adaptation and now fans have their first insight into the project's development.
While speaking with IGN at the red carpet premiere of The Matrix Resurrections, Stahleski offered an update on the development of the Ghost of Tsushima movie. The director confirmed that the film is still in the scripting phase, but promised that he and his team are working closely with Sucker Punch to stick close to the games and deliver a proper adaptation. See what Stahelski said below:
"We just want to do it right. You know how video game adaptions can go. So we're taking our time and doing it right. We're working very closely with the game developers to make sure we stick to what's great about it. [Fans of the game] would be very happy with what we're working on."
Though a filmmaker working closely with a game developer for a film may sound like a given thing, it's actually a rarity when it comes to movie adaptations of video games. Thus, Stahelski's confirmation of a close relationship between his team and Sucker Punch to Ghost of Tsushima and their efforts to retain the best elements of the title is a very promising sign for those concerned about the film's potential to recapture the success of its source material. It should also come as a vote of confidence amongst players to learn that the film is still only in the scripting phase nearly a year after development began on the project as Stahelski and his team want to take their time to get the project right.
The Ghost of Tsushima movie comes at a time in Hollywood in which video game adaptations are ramping back up in the market thanks to a gradual growth in positive reception from critics and audiences alike. Though the likes of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and Mortal Kombat have still divided the two on its mix of faithful storytelling and underwhelming filmmaking, hits such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Detective Pikachu and Werewolves Within have shown studios and filmmakers making better strides to satisfy gamers and general moviegoers alike. Only time will tell whether Ghost of Tsushima can reach the heights of the latter as development continues on the adaptation.
Source: IGN
