When word came out early last summer that Sony was going ahead with an adaptation of the video game “Shadow of the Colossus,” it was perplexing to say the least. Many wondered just how they would go about pulling it off. Now THR reports that Seth Lochhead, who co-wrote the Joe Wright film “Hanna,” will be working on the script. “Chronicle” director Josh Trank is still attached to direct.
Sony has been trying to get this off the ground for the past few years, and it finally looks like things are picking up. That said, considering Trank already has a spring 2015 release date set for his "Fantastic Four" reboot, one can only imagine that 'Colossus' is still a bit of a way off. For those who are unfamiliar with the game, "Shadow of the Colossus" follows a young man named Wander who has to slay sixteen massive creatures in order to restore the life of a girl, Mono. The combination of its gameplay and aesthetic is what makes it such a rich, rewarding experience for many gamers. Could the two relative newcomers, Lochhead and Trank, possibly do it justice? We'll have to wait and see.
Seth Lochhead, meanwhile, has become a fairly hot property as of late. Since “Hanna,” Lochhead has written “The Governess,” which Michael Bay is producing and has set up at Warner Brothers. He’s also written an adaptation for the sci-fi novel “The Age of Miracles" for Bill Pohlad over at River Road Entertainment. And the new addition of a franchise on his CV is certainly an endorsement of his talents.
This is one of those cases where there really is no need for a film adaptation. I doubt the film will feature all 16 colossus, but even with only a few I can't see them making a film that would do the game justice. The game was very atmospheric and minimalistic, and I doubt the studio will want a contemplative almost zero dialogue big-budgted film. I'd be curious to hear their approach even though I feel this film will probably remain in development limbo.