Jurassic World writer hired for Metal Gear Solid movie

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There are probably a few ways to get more work as a screenwriter in Hollywood, but the best way is to write a movie that goes on to earn $1.6 billion at the global box office and reinvigorate a dormant franchise. That will get you just about any job in the business, as is the case for writer Derek Connolly, who has been hired to kick-start yet another major franchise – METAL GEAR SOLID.

Variety got the exclusive that Connolly has been hired by Sony to pen the script for the upcoming film based on the video game series of the same name. Connolly’s most recent work was the blockbuster KONG: SKULL ISLAND, and working on SOLID will once again pair him with that film’s director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts. There's no word on who will play the lead character yet, but with Connolly on board to write the script, chances are we will begin to hear more about the production early next year.

The initial game in the series came out in 1998 and follows Snake, a soldier who must use his super special sneaking abilities to infiltrate a nuclear weapons facility (mostly by hiding in boxes, in vents and under many large things) to neutralize a nuclear threat by a terrorist organization called Foxhound. We will next see work from Connolly on the big screen in JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM and then INTELLIGENT LIFE for Amblin.

Video game movies don’t inspire much in me. There’s probably not a single one I enjoy, and it’s so easy for them to come out wrong. However, there are plenty of other adaptations on the way, including TOMB RAIDER and RAMPAGE, so perhaps next year can kick off a new renaissance of video game films. I’m not a fan of JURASSIC WORLD, but I dug KONG: SKULL ISLAND a lot, so maybe with the right angle MGS can be one of the first great video game films. Best of luck to both Connolly and Roberts! My fingers are very, very, very tightly crossed on this one.

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM hits theaters June 22, 2018.