PlayStation’s “Bloodborne” is being developed into an R-rated animated feature for Sony Pictures that the studio says will embrace the carnage that made the game so popular.
Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, promised during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation that the long-rumored film will be “very true” to the gory spirit of “Bloodborne,” which follows a traveler who journeys into a gothic city full of nightmarish creatures.
“Bloodborne” was developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which shares a parent company with Sony Pictures and PlayStation. The film is co-produced by PlayStation Productions, Lyrical Animation and creator and gamer Seán McLoughlin, better known by his pseudonym JackSepticEye. For the uninitiated, McLoughlin is a gamer who has spent years in the world of “Bloodborne,” where his digital adventures are tracked by 48 million online fans.
The film is the latest in a string of video game adaptations. Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions recently announced the adaptation of “Helldivers,” directed by Justin Lin, who has helmed several “Fast & Furious” films, and starring Jason Momoa. The studio also recently completed filming a screen adaptation of Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda.” Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner”) will direct, with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason starring as Link and Princess Zelda. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto is producing the film.
Video game adaptations have become a huge source of box office revenue. Recent films in the genre, such as “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” are among the highest-grossing films of the post-COVID era.
Lyrical Media, parent company of Lyrical Animation, is co-financing “Bloodborne” with Sony Pictures. McLoughlin is repped by CAA, Nicole Ambrose, Hansen Jacobson, and 42 West.