Video Games Grip Hollywood

When it comes to fodder for the next big hit, Hollywood is increasingly turning to video games for inspiration. Motivated by huge interest internationally for video game movies, studios are adapting for the big screen at least six popular video titles, starting Friday with Resident Evil: Apocalypse. It’s the sequel to the 2002 video game adaptation Resident Evil, which stunned studio executives by raking in $39.6 million in the USA and $102.4 million worldwide.

Since then, studios have been scrambling to acquire the rights to video titles in hopes of turning gamers into moviegoers:

•Spy Hunter, based on the popular combat-racing game, is due next year with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the role of fearless pilot Alec Sects.

•Bloodrayne, an adaptation of the video game about a dhampir (half-human, half-vampire), hits screens next year with Kristanna Loken from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in the title role.

• Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to the terrorist battle game Psi-Ops and to the mutant combat game Area-51. Screen Gems bought the rights to the car chase hit Getaway.

There’s good reason studios are going gaming: The market holds as much promise as the lucrative comic book genre. According to video game industry surveys, roughly 160 million Americans — or about 60% of the U.S. population — will play some form of video game this year.

Video games have a grip on Hollywood @ USA Today