Justin Lin to direct Helldivers movie for Sony and PlayStation
According to THR, Fast & Furious director Justin Lin is set to direct a movie based on Helldivers, the popular video game franchise developed by Arrowhead Game Studios. Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are collaborating on the project, which has been scripted by Gary Dauberman, best known for the Annabelle trilogy and the It films.
What Is Helldivers?
The first Helldivers video game was released in 2015 and was a significant success. However, the sequel, Helldivers 2, truly took off, selling more than 12 million units on PS5 and PC within the first four months after its 2024 launch.
Many have compared the franchise to Starship Troopers, as the games follow an elite unit of shock troops dispatched to combat various threats to humanity, such as Bugs, Cyborgs, and the Illuminate, while spreading managed democracy. With the same satirical tone as the Paul Verhoeven flick, Helldivers has been praised as a lot of fun, with a big focus on teamwork and camaraderie.
Although there is a story to be found in the game, there’s also plenty of opportunity to expand it, which is what attracted Lin to the project. According to THR’s insiders, Lin isn’t a big gamer, but he “aims to find the humanity in the characters and weave timely themes into the story, while building out a world and mythology.” He will also produce the project through his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner, alongside Hutch Parker and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.
What’s Next for Justin Lin?
Lin is credited with helping to transform the Fast & Furious franchise into a billion-dollar juggernaut. He first helmed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and returned for Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and F9: The Fast Saga. He was slated to direct Fast X, but dropped out after one week of shooting, reportedly due to creative differences with series star Vin Diesel.
Earlier this year, he was tapped to helm BRZRKR, the live-action action flick based on the comic of the same name co-created by Keanu Reeves. BRZRKR is a “brutally epic saga about an immortal warrior’s 80,000 year fight through the ages. The man known only as ‘B’ is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence, even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the earth for centuries, B may have finally found a refuge — working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B will be granted the one thing he desires — the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence … and how to end it.“
He’s also still attached to direct One-Punch Man, based on the massively popular manga series created by writer/artist One.
Lin’s most recent film was a return to his indie roots. Last Days told the true story of John Allen Chau, a Christian missionary who was killed while attempting to evangelize the self-isolated Sentinelese people.
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