Universal Pictures is setting its crosshairs on Reikon’s Ruiner video game for a silver-screen adaptation, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Maze Runner franchise director Wes Ball getting behind the camera. Developed by Reikon Games and published by Devolver Digital (Cult of the Lamb, Death’s Door, Hotline Miami, Enter the Gungeon), Ruiner is a brutal top-down action shooter set in 2091 in the cyber metropolis Rengkok. In Ruiner, a wired psychopath lashes out against a corrupt system to uncover the truth and retrieve his kidnapped brother under the guidance of a secretive hacker friend.
Universal’s Ruiner film project has some serious firepower behind it, with Kelly McCormick and David Leitch producing through 87North. Other producers include Story Kitchen’s Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg, with Timothy I. Stevenson and Dan Jevons acting as executive producers. Ball and Joe Hartwick Jr. will produce through Oddball. Marek Roefler, Magdalena Tomkowicz, and Jakub Stylinski will executive produce through Reikon.
Ruiner sits well on Steam with Very Positive reviews and upward of 4 million players. Steam reviews can be fickle, so the thought of the game holding onto its glowing status since its 2017 release is nothing to gloss over. Ruiner features fast-paced, stylish action in a technology-driven city, with non-stop bullets flying through the air as waves of enemies crowd the battlefield. Rated M for Violence, Blood, and Strong Language, Ruiner does not shy away from its Dredd-like aesthetic and propensity for gettin’ up in that ass with a B.F.G.
In addition to adapting Ruiner, Wes Ball is directing Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, which is in development. Written by Derek Connolly (Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Dominion), Ball faces the impossible task of adapting one of the most beloved video game properties ever, and in live-action no less. The odds are already stacked against Ball, with rabid fans foaming at the mouth for any excuse to trash what he and his team come up with. I do not envy their position and wish them the best. The key to producing a worthy Zelda movie is atmosphere and character representation. My advice is to get weird with it. Please take a good, long look at the freaks of Hyrule and embrace their quirky behavior. It’s the only way you’ll leave this project with any heart containers.
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