After an infamously disastrous version in the early 2000s,House of the Deadis getting a second chance at an adaptation from Paul W.S. Anderson. The SEGA action-horror franchise puts players in the shoes of a variety of protagonists as they make their way through a house full of zombie-like creatures, utilizing an on-rails system to keep the player moving through each level.House of the Deadwas previously adaptedby Uwe Boll in 2003, but is regarded as one of the worst movies of all-time, holding a 3% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just over 21 years after the original movie hit theaters,SEGAis now teaming with Anderson for an adaptation ofHouse of the Dead. The filmmaker ofResident Evilfame will be writing, directing and producing it alongside his partner Jeremy Bolt, SEGA’s Toru Nakahara, Story Kitchen’s Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg and Dan Jevons, while Timothy I. Stevenson will executive produce. The team are going to start pitching the movie to studios “immediately”,with plans for a mid-to-late 2025 filming start for the adaptation.
In a conversation withDeadlineas part of the movie’s announcement, Anderson also shared his enthusiasm for the originalHouse of the Deadfranchise,recalling being a “big player of video games in arcades” in the ‘90sand expressing his admiration for seeing his own kids still playing the games:
I’ve loved the video game since the ’90s. Back then, I was a big player of video games in arcades, which is how I happened uponMortal Kombat. And pretty much at the same time, I was also playing a lot ofHouse of the Dead. It’s a title I’ve always loved. The IP has grown in strength, and now it’s really cross-generational. I was one of the original players, but now I have teenage kids who also play. That is the real attraction for me, that you’ve got a cross-generational piece of IP.
Anderson also went on to confirm thatthe film will be primarily based onHouse of the Dead III, explaining that the “family conflict” at the heart of that game’s story and lore makes it the perfect jumping off point for him:
We’re going to base the movie onHouse of the Dead III, and if you know the mythology that is all about family conflict, amidst the action and scares. It’s about a woman, Lisa Rogan, who’s attempting to rescue her father. And it’s also about Daniel Curien, who’s the son of the man who caused this mutant outbreak in the first place and who has to deal with the sins of the father.
In reflecting on theResident Evilmovies and how his new film will look to them, Anderson explained thathe is bringing an approach that will let the audience “get sucked straight into the action”:
My approach will be to reflect what this hyper-immersive, kinetic video game is, which is why Zack Snyder took these creatures and made them fast moving. This is a full-on terror ride. It’s different from what we did withResident Evil, where there were lots of traps and puzzles and things to be figured out.House of the Deadis at heart a light rail shooter game, so it drags you straight into the middle of the action. I’m going to make a movie that mirrors that approach and plays out in real time, dragging the audience straight into the action. It’s not going to be kind of lumbered with a whole bunch of backstory that might exclude people who know nothing aboutHouse of the Dead. Everyone’s going to be on the same page. Everyone’s going to get sucked straight into the action and learn about the characters and the plot, as they have 90 minutes to basically escape the most extreme haunted house you’ve ever been in.
As far as the zombies themselves go, Bolt explains thatthey will be far more capable monsters than typical zombies, recalling how the director of the originalHouse of the Deadgame refused to call them that term, given they are “more like weaponized mutations”:
The original director of the video game, Takashi Oda, was very specific and never referred to them as zombies. He called them creatures.Resident Evil,for example, was very clearly based upon the Romero Zombie movies.House of the Deadis something different. These are more like weaponized mutations, these incredible steroid-ed up figures that have chainsaws embedded into their limbs. It all has a very Japanese design aesthetic, related to manga and films likeTetsuo: The Iron Man, where you kind of have bits of metal and technology embedded in human mutated flesh. And these creatures are keenly intelligent, another thing that setHouse of the Deadapart. They’re not just going to come at you slowly lumbering. They’re coming from the sides, they’re coming from the back. They’re trying to trick you. They’re trying to trap you. And the level of intelligence differs. And they’re all being driven on ultimately by Dr. Curien, whose life force and intelligence lives on, almost like AI. The flesh is dead, but the mind lives on in a character called The Wheel of Fate. And he, like all of the great villains from House of the Dead and Creatures, they’re all named after Tarot cards. So the Wheel of Fate, Death, the Magician.
Nakahara, the head of SEGA’s Production Movies/TV team, recallsthe publisher had long been hesitant about another adaptation of the game, with SEGA feeling that Hollywood producers were “sharks” and would “rip us off”, only for Nakahara to successfully convince them. Check out what Nakahara shared below, along with the first concept art from the film:
Sega was a little skeptical about getting involved in big Hollywood productions, the idea that “they’re sharks, they’re going to rip us off”. But I convinced them, and working with Paramount onSonicchanged the dynamic toward our transmedia policies and, since then, we’ve been actively developing a lot of productions, looking at it as an initiative to expand the whole Sega brand. I got to know Paul and Jeremy, they’re legends in terms of zombie movies, and Dmitri at Story Kitchen. They have a rare understanding of video games, and how to bring them to the screen. We want to add a cool zombie movie to the Sega transmedia basket.
Anderson Could Breathe New Life Into The Property
WhileResident Evilmay remain his most popular due to the fact it spawned a franchise of five sequels and a reboot,Anderson now has been involved in four different video game franchise adaptations afterThe House of the Dead.Prior to the zombie action hit, Anderson also directed 1995’sMortal Kombatmovie while going on to reteam with Capcom forthe 2020 adaptation ofMonster Hunter. Though none of the films have garnered positive reviews, they were almost all box office successes, as can be seen in the chart below:
47%
58%
36%
67%
18%
60%
24%
21%
48%
28%
51%
38%
44%
70%
$47.9 Million
Considering Anderson’s financially successful streak in both the video game adaptation and action-horror genres, having him helmHouse of the Deadcould breathe new life into the overall franchise. Apart from Boll’s infamously panned 2003 movie and its direct-to-DVD 2005 sequel, there hasn’t been any new game installment for six years, while the last release was 2022’sHouse of the Deadremake. Though there are reportedly plans for a remake of the second game, similar to whattheResident Evilfranchisehas been doing, nothing has been made official of late.
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Having a new film out could spark SEGA to start developing a proper sequel for at-home consoles rather than the arcade should Anderson’sHouse of the Deadprove to be a success. However, considering he states thatHouse of the Dead IIIwill be the basis of the adaptation,it seems more likely that the publisher will aim to produce a remake of the 2002 titlein order to coincide with the movie.
Our Take On Anderson’s House Of The Dead
It Could Certainly Work If It Stays Faithful
While his approach to adapting theResident Evilgames did often leave me underwhelmed, I can’t deny that I find myself hopeful about Anderson’sHouse of the Deadmovie. One thing he’s often exemplified in his projects is a keen eye for good action, even if the script doesn’t generally match up. However, considering theHouse of the Deadgames are known for their fairly campy tones, the fast-paced approach Anderson has described is one well-suited for the property.
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Ultimately, the biggest factor in whether hisHouse of the Deadmovie works is how faithful Anderson stays to the source material. TheResident Evilmovies are infamous for taking a very loose approach to adapting its games, especially with some of its hero characters, and while the SEGA franchise may not have the same level of popular characters, staying true to the tone and story of the games will be a big boost in making sure the movie is entertaining.
