It’s been a few good years for video games being adapted for film and (mostly) TV. A historically-cursed premise has now seen success with the likes of The Witcher, The Last of Us, Fallout, Werewolves Within, Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania, Arcane, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, to name a few.
And now Sony seems to have decided to commit to the wave.
In a flurry of announcements at the CES 2025, a number of PlayStation titles were set forth for a silver and small screen treatment.
The Last of Us returns
The second season of the HBO and Sony Pictures’ critical hit series is set for release this April, two years after the conclusion of the first.
While the previous outing of the show followed the events of Naughty Dog’s much acclaimed first game, the upcoming season will take on the more messy and layered Part II. Reprising the roles of the lead protagonists Joel and Ellie will be Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, receptively; meanwhile Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as Abby and Isabela Merced as Dina, two central characters to the new storyline.
With a rather tense and action-packed teaser already out, the show looks set to carry on with its success.
Horizon Zero Dawn goes big (screen)
Guerrilla Games’ beloved IP and fan-favourite heroine are all set to make the film debut with an upcoming collaboration between Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions.
With a Netflix show scrapped last summer, followed by a rather disappointing Lego outing, the latest turn of events is a reason for more cautiously optimistic, especially given that the only detail apparent about the project at the moment is that it will centre around Aloy’s origin story.
But then again, its difficult not to be excited by the prospect of a gorgeous post-apocalyptic land with giant machines come to life on the big screen.
Ghost of Tsushima does anime
An anime series based on yet another eye candy of an action-adventure title — Ghost of Tsushima — is in production as well.
Reportedly based on Legends (the co-op multiplayer released in 2020) and developed in collaboration with Sucker Punch Productions, the creators of the original game, the show is set to premiere in 2027 exclusively on Crunchyroll.
This marks Sony’s first venture into anime adaptations for one of its gaming properties, and will be helmed by director Takanobu Mizuno, with Gen Urobuchi writing the story composition. The anime will be produced in collaboration with Aniplex, along with Sony Music serving as a partner.
Interestingly, Sony Pictures is currently also developing a live-action film adaptation of the game, directed by Chad Stahelski of the John Wick series fame. Meanwhile, Sucker Punch continues to work on Ghost of Yotei, a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, which is planned for launch some time in 2025.
Helldivers film in works
PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures are also developing a feature film adaptation of Helldivers. And that is practically all we know of the project at the moment.
With the massive (and somewhat a surprise) success of Helldivers 2, which sold more than 12 million copes in just three months after its release last year, it is not entirely a surprise that Sony would like to dig into the franchise. Whether a film production — be it animated or live-action — is the right way to go about with a Starship Troopers-inspired game remains to be seen.
Until Dawn hits the theatres
The Last of Us season two is not the only PlayStation title scheduled for a release this April. A film adaptation of Until Dawn by director David F Sandberg is also set to hit the big screen on the 25th of the same month.
Starring Peter Stormare (who portrayed Dr Hill in the game), Odessa A’zion, Maia Mitchell, Michael Cimino, Ji-young Yoo, Ella Rubin and Belmont Cameli, the production will serve as a live-action spin-off of the 2015 horror-drama title developed by Supermassive Games.
While set in the same universe as the video games, the film will feature an original standalone story and a fresh cast of characters.
All images courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
