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Rainbow Six
Status: Dormant

Tom Clancy's gaming franchises don't seem to have much luck in Hollywood. Rainbow Six joins Splinter Cell as a film that hasn't seen any significant news or buzz in years. The games feature a small counter-terrorist unit led by CIA agent John Clark. Zack Snyder was slated to write and direct Rainbow Six back in 2005, but has since moved on to helm 300 and Watchmen instead. No word has surfaced since 2006, when Paramount put the film in turnaround, so we have no reason to believe a Rainbow Six movie will become a reality anytime soon.


Resident Evil: Afterlife
Status: Filming

Amid all the troubled productions and false starts when it comes to videogame movies, at least gamers can always count on the Resident Evil franchise to persevere. The fourth entry in the film series has geared up and began filming at the end of September.

Paul W.S. Anderson ,who directed the first RE film, is back in the director's chair. Also back are Milla Jovovich as Alice and Ali Larter as Claire Redfield. Prison Break fans will be happy to know that Wentworth Miller has joined the cast. He'll be playing Chris Redfield.

So far no specific release date has been given, though Fall 2010 is likely. After that, Screen Gems will reportedly reboot the franchise and focus on making the films closer to the tone and setting of the games.


Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Status: Unknown

Columbia Pictures has the movie rights to Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The film, if it happens, will follow a highly decorated Army Ranger who is recruited into the Office of Secret Actions and tasked with escaping and then returning to Castle Wolfenstein in an attempt to thwart occult and genetic experiments being conducted there by Nazis. At last report, Rich Wilkes (xXx), was drafting the screenplay for the game-to-film adaptation. That was years ago, however, and we're no longer sure if Return to Castle Wolfenstein is still in development. The most recent sequel failed to make a splash with gamers, so we're not getting our hopes up.


Shadow of the Colossus
Status: In Development

Shadow of the Colossus is one of the more recent games to be plucked by Hollywood. The PS2 game was one of the most artfully produced and emotional titles of the previous console generation, leaving many to worry an adaptation would do it a disservice. Sony Pictures clearly feel Shadow is a viable project, as they announced their intention to spearhead a film this past April. Unfortunately, with the producer of The Scorpion King and the writer of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li on board, fans may want to hope this project stalls. With no word since April, we'll be watching to see what becomes of Shadow of the Colossus in the future.


Shattered Union
Status: In Development

Though busy with Prince of Persia, Jerry Bruckheimer is already developing another gaming franchise for Disney. Shattered Union is a PC strategy game that depicts a US torn by civil and nuclear war. Gamers are able to control either one of several US factions or a group of European peace-keepers. It's unclear just which side the film might focus on.

A few weeks ago, we learned that J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Changeling) has been brought in to craft a script. We're keen to see if Disney puts as much muscle behind this film as it did Prince of Persia. It has a far darker premise, but if done properly older viewers might turn out in droves despite the game's lack of mainstream recognition.


Silent Hill 2
Status: In Development

The first Silent Hill was one of the more faithful videogame adaptations we've seen, so we were interested about the promised sequel. It was believed Silent Hill 2 would enter production in 2007, but the film eventually lost director Christopher Gans and, consequently, writer Roger Avary.

However, Avary recently returned to the project alongside new producer Samuel Hadida. The duo were hopeful production might begin in 2010. However, the fact that the sequel still lacks a director and that Avary was recently sentenced to a year in prison for vehicular manslaughter have put a damper on the project.

Whether Avary continues his work in prison or the film is put on hold, we hope to see the sequel move forward. As of yet there is no word on whether the plot will connect to the events of the first movie or feature an entirely new cast of characters.


Soul Calibur
Status: Dormant

Namco's popular fighting game, Soul Calibur, was optioned by producer Warren Zide (American Pie, Final Destination) back in 2004. The story he was developing is said to have revolved around two warriors who are chosen by Shaolin monks to recover and destroy a powerful sword, Soul Edge, that has fallen into the hands of an evil prince who plans to use it to open the gates of hell and destroy the world. However, Zide now tells IGN that he is no longer involved in the project. Since then, we've heard little surrounding this now-dormant project.


Splinter Cell
Status: Dormant

The Splinter Cell movie is perhaps doing too good a job of imitating its lead hero, Sam Fisher. Like the stealthy secret agent, no one has heard buzz on a Splinter Cell movie for several years now. The last report we heard in 2005 came from the website Latino Review, which posted a review of a then-current Splinter Cell script by writer Stuart Beattie. The script saw Fisher travel the globe and dealt heavily with the relationship between Fisher and his daughter. At the time it appeared that Daniel Pyne was also being brought in to rewrite the script, though nothing came from that announcement.

No news is probably bad news in this case. The game franchise has lost some of its luster since thanks to the lackluster Splinter Cell: Double Agent. But assuming the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction redeems Fisher in the eyes of gamers, the film may be plucked from obscurity once more.


Spy Hunter
Status: Unknown

Spy Hunter has been attached to a number of writers and directors over the years. The film was formerly slated to star The Rock with John Woo directing. Midway Games even released a game called Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run featuring The Rock's likeness that was meant to tie into the film. In 2007, Paul W.S. Anderson became attached to the project, with no word as to whether The Rock would stick around. Given the lack of more recent word and Anderson's rather hefty plate of videogame films, we're willing to bet Spy Hunter is dead in the water.


The Suffering
Status: In Development

MTV Films and effects guru Stan Winston have joined forces to bring Midway Games' popular action-horror property The Suffering to the big screen. The flick will be based on the original Suffering title, which dropped back in April 2004 and its sequel -- The Suffering: Ties that Bind -- released in 2005. In The Suffering, the player controls a prisoner named Torque, a death row inmate convicted for a murder he may or may not have actually committed. The Suffering: Ties That Bind allows players to dig deeper into Torque's perverse world to discover his past and struggle to control his future. Midway's Surreal Software developed both titles. Watch IGN for further updates.


Tomb Raider III
Status: Rumored

Might Lara Croft return to the big screen? A third installment in the Tomb Raider franchise is rumored, and Angelina Jolie may even return as the film's busty heroine. When we last published this article, Ian Livingstone, head of game developer Eidos said, "There's a possibility -- we've been talking to Paramount, who've agreed to assign a scriptwriter. That's nowhere near the green-light process but it's a very healthy start to have a scriptwriter which they're going to pay serious amounts of money to write the first script." Since then, the only real news surrounding the project is that Megan Fox shot down rumors she might play Ms. Croft. But that doesn't mean the movie won't still see the light of day at some point.


Warcraft
Status: In Development

Fantasy movies are still in vogue thanks to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Given the crushing dominance the Warcraft franchise exerts over the PC gaming market, it's no wonder Legendary Pictures is keen on bringing Warcraft to the big screen. The project is often referred to as World of Warcraft, suggesting the movie will be taking many cues from the online game.

Perhaps the most promising piece of news surrounding the film is that Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) will be directing. Raimi is currently paired with screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan). Raimi has indicated the movie's script features an original story that may or may not involve any of the central characters from the games.

Raimi is currently busy with Spider-Man 4, which will hit theaters in May 2011. With any luck, Warcraft will be next on his agenda after that.