Lionsgate Enlists Avi And Ari Arad To Produce Game Adaptation, BORDERLANDS

Look out for another live-action video game adaptation heading our way from Lionsgate! Word has it from Variety that father-and-son producer duo Avi and Ari Arad are developing a big screen rendition of the hit shooter RPG, Borderlands.

The film, based on the game, will take place on the corporate-abandoned planet of Pandora where access to a mysterious vault containing alien technology will ultimately determine life or death for a group of colonial survivors against a burrowing alien menace. Gearbox Software created the game which published in 2009 through Take-Two Interactive Software's 2K label, selling to the tune of well-over thirty-million copies globally to date.

Cast and crew details are pending, though folks at Take Two are clearly sold on the Arads' in the producers' chair. “Lionsgate has emerged as a major creative force in the global marketplace with an incredible portfolio of brands; our partners at Gearbox have pioneered and cultivated an iconic property; and Avi and Ari Arad are two of the most successful producers of action franchises,” Take-Two Interactive Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick has stated. “This alliance is ideally positioned to create a bold, provocative, no-holds-barred motion picture phenomenon that will delight ‘Borderlands” current legions of fans and captivate moviegoers around the world.”

Lionsgate co-chairs are also sharing their faith whilst insistent in staying true to the game's "in-your-face" nature as Borderlands adds to their M.O. of merging into video game territory. Avi Arad, is also involved in one other live-action game developing for film, Uncharted, as well as Sony's latest Spider-Man franchise with Marvel, and is one of several names producing the live-action adaptation of Ghost In The Shell.

Curious to know what Borderlands looks like? Check out a gameplay trailer from several years ago and stay tuned for more info!

NARUTO Is Up For A Live-Action Film From Lionsgate

Naruto Shippuden and Road To Ninja: Naruto The Movie helmer Yamashita Hiroyuki is currently on the way with the next theatrical chapter of the hit manga/anime saga, Boruto: Naruto The Movie - the eleventh animated film in the saga, this August in Japan while fans await their day in October. It's a franchise like many of late with a huge following stemming from its roots at Shueisha by author Kishimoto Masashi, prior to its anime launch in 1997 with a plot focused on an orphaned boy determined to become his village's strongest ninja guardian yet. Moreover, it is one that has systemically driven online creators to bring their own inspired take on Kishimoto's universe, and make no mistake - there are quite a few successes to take note of (HINT: I've written about them).

So, what of it then? Well, as a lot of you may already know in this day and age, it's always a matter of time before something as highly treasured by the masses as a beloved anime is taken into consideration for a live-action adaptation by Hollywood. Films like Dragonball: Evolution and Edge Of Tomorrow, and upcoming iterations of titles like Akira and Ghost In The Shell are prime examples of hits and misses of such properties (you be the judge of either), as the volume and tone of the responses to these projects are largely met with some capacity of skepticism, to say the least. So in the wake of Variety's latest report this time around, this might not be surprising, as word now has it that former VFX specialist Michael Gracey is moving into a live-action take on Naruto with backing by Lionsgate in association with Avi Arad productions; Gracey's directing career will kick off next year for the biopic release, The Greatest Showman On Earth with Hugh Jackman starring, following a resume with titles such as Chen Kuo-fu's 2002 thriller, Double Vision, Ned Kelley in 2003, and The Magician in 2005.

Granted, this will take some getting used to when this goes forward, and hopefully it meets the standards the fans hope will be met. Lionsgate is also handling Dave Green's current production of the upcoming Toku feature reboot, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with Saban, so for those concerned, that is two fronts to pay attention to, but the Naruto universe is definitely one internalized for its fanbase.

Cross your fingers and watch this space.