New Line acquires rights to "Gears of War"

By: Karl Schneider
Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Source: Variety

According to Variety, New Line has acquired the rights to Microsoft's video game, Gears of War, and plans to develop a feature film.

The story, which is being written by Stuart Beattie (Collateral), will be based on the video game which is about a world reeling from an invasion by aliens known as the Locust.  In the game, a small group of elite soldiers, including the main character Marcus Fennix, who is rescued from prison at the beginning of the game, fight to retake the planet Sera for its surviving humans.

The game has sold over 3 million copies and is considered a huge hit for the XBox 360.


KJ's Take:  Could be very cool if done right.  They got a solid screenwriter, which is a very good sign, but it is still a video game adaptation, so be wary.