Duke Nukem Movie Adaptation Announced
Max Payne Producer Scott Faye Set to Film Duke 3D Franchise
Faye is no stranger to video game movie adaptations. Along with Max Payne, he is also producing Alice, based on American McGee's game of the same name. “More than ever before, I feel that a feature adaption of Duke Nukem will come together nicely,” Faye recently told Kotaku. “Certainly, there's a large audience that knows and loves this character.”
Faye is working closely with 3D Realms to develop what he calls the Duke Nukem “storyverse”, which will hopefully be improved beyond the original game premise: “Murderous aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles, and humans suddenly find themselves atop the endangered species list. The odds are a million-to-one, just the way Duke likes it!”
Video Game Franchise to Film Adaption
Duke Nukem would be only the latest of many video games to appear on film. From Super Mario Brothers and Fatal Fury in the Eighties, and Street Fighter, Mortal Combat and Wing Commander in the Nineties, it was with the advent of the new millennium and Lara Croft in Tomb Raider that suddenly had film studios snapping up the rights to computer games.
With the massive success of such movies as the Resident Evil films, Doom, Silent Hill, and recently, Hitman, producing a Duke Nukem movie makes good commercial sense. Faye is quick to remark on the merits of inheriting not just a game's existing fan-base, but also of obtaining a strongly developed concept that can be expanded upon:
“Why go out of your way to acquire an IP if you're not going to use as much of it as you can in the adaptation process?” he asks, adding, “...it’s important to be true to the source material.”
Sex and Violence Content Controversy
The Duke Nukem franchise has been the subject of much controversy since its release in 1996. Originally refused classification in Australia, placed on the “List of Media Harmful to Young People” in Germany and banned outright in Brazil, the game features dancing prostitutes, sex stores and in-game posters of scantily-clad women.
The violence and perceived sexism evident in Duke Nukem led Media Watch to comment, “Duke throws cash at a prostituted woman telling her to “Shake it, Baby” his gun ever ready. In the game bonus points are awarded for the murder of these mostly prostituted and partially nude women... Duke is encouraged to kill defenseless, often bound women.”
Duke Nukem Forever Still Awaiting Release
The wise-cracking Duke was set to return when 3D Realms announced a sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, in 1997. Since then, the game has gone through many revisions and restarts, and promised release dates have come and gone. Most recently, the 24th September 2008 was confirmed as the release date for the Xbox platform. However, the 3D Realms website still cites that the release date for Duke Nukem Forever is: “when it's done”.
Hopefully, Faye's planned film version of Duke Nukem will inspire the 3D Realms team to ramp up production so that “when it's done” coincides with the movie release, if not before. The game has long been considered vaporware by the gaming community. In Scott Faye's capable hands, it is unlikely that a film adaption would experience the same development hell that has so plagued Duke Nukem Forever.
Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg, is on general release this October. Alice is currently in production, and is scheduled to be released in 2009.
Duke Nukem Cover Detail
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