Infamous finds writer

Sony Pictures hasn’t even finalized the deal for the rights to INFAMOUS, the PS3 game from Sucker Punch Productions, but they’ve already picked up a pitch for the film from screenwriter Sheldon Turner, whose limited credits include the TEXAS CHAINSAW prequel and THE LONGEST YARD.

It’s a pretty quick turnaround for a game that just came out two months ago, but INFAMOUS has garnered both positive reviews and good sales since its release, so a film adaptation was inevitable in this day and age. The game tells the story of Cole McGrath, a bike messenger granted electrical super powers when an explosion levels half his city. In the game players pick whether to help the city’s citizens with their newfound powers, or torture them and become “infamous” as the title suggests. It should be obvious which is more fun, but you can bet we’ll see more of Cole’s do-gooder side on film.

INFAMOUS is widely thought to be a slightly better version of a similar game, PROTOTYPE, in which another average Joe is turned into a superpowered hardass and let loose to level a sandbox city. Both games were released about the same time, and don’t be surprised if PROTOTYPE lands its own movie deal soon. Then prepare for a box office showdown that mirrors the console battle that just took place.