Hollywood production company Legendary is developing a limited-series television event based on the book Console Wars by author Blake J. Harris, as Nerdist first reported. The book documents how Sega battled with Nintendo over the hearts and minds of gamers throughout the ’90s. The miniseries will now bring that story to television screens.
Point Grey Pictures, which produces Preacher for AMC, is working with Legendary on this project. Hollywood veterans Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver — the founders of Point Grey — will stay on as executive producers after they acquired the film rights to Console Wars in February 2014. Other producers on the film include Annihilation producers Eli Bush and Scott Rudin.
“Given the scope of the story and, frankly, the sheer size of the book at 550 pages, I’m thrilled that we’ll be doing this as a TV series,” Harris told GamesBeat. “And I’m even more thrilled to have Jordan and Mike at the helm; their vision takes everything from the book to — dare I say — next level.”
A director who loves games
It’s not all just producers and promises. Legendary also attached Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to the film as well. Vogt-Roberts is directing and producing. And while you might assume the producers picked him for his experience working with massive ape creatures, which would give him an advantage trying to wrangle Donkey Kong, he actually brings a lot more to this project.
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Vogt-Roberts has experience working in other time periods. He set Kong in the 1970s, and one of the film’s strongest elements was its time setting. That could serve Vogt-Roberts well when he goes to re-create a 1990s that most of the audience will have memories of.
But, of course, the biggest reason Vogt-Roberts likely landed this job is his oft-professed love for video games. He has previously expressed interest in directing game-related projects. And rumors have attached him to movies like the fabled Metal Gear Solid adaptation. He even directed a live-action trailer for Destiny 2.
But now Vogt-Roberts will get the chance to work with characters who are real heroes, like Sega of America boss Tom Kalinske who stopped Sega of Japan from giving Sonic the Hedgehog a human girlfriend. How is that for some dramatic stakes?
