Just as I cast my doubts on the production of the Gears of War movie, it rears its head at this year’s SDCC with a panel featuring Len Wiseman (director) and Chris Morgan (writer, Wanted). Production is still in the earliest stages, but more importantly—it is still in production. How early? No concept art, casting or production stills yet. Wiseman and Morgan did however offer up their thoughts on the adaptation.
Casting
The first questions concerned casting, in particular the (entirely unsubstantiated) rumors that wrestlers would be cast as main characters. Wiseman said that casting strong men wouldn’t be his choice, instead, “I’m looking for an actor for the role and then [I'll] put him into shape”, adding “I’m always thinking who could play the best Marcus. You want to get hooked into the character [first] and then all the amazing spectacle.”
As for the casting of Maria, Len Wiseman wants his wife Kate Beckinsale to play the badass female role, “If I can convince [Kate Beckinsale] — and I think I have a shot — I’d love to see that.”
Plot
Emergence day will play a big role in the movie’s plot, but the films are unlikely to closely follow the games. Whilst promising to follow the Gears history closely, he made no guarantees about “appeasing gamers”. Rod Ferguson, the game’s executive producer, explained:
“You can be too tied to what is the game. We’re so oriented at grabbing the gaming audience, we don’t leave behind what shouldn’t be in the movie. We’re about making the best movie possible, not about making Gears of War the game into a movie… previous movies haven’t been willing to let go. We had only three pages [of notes for Wiseman]. ‘Please don’t kill Marcus.’
To summarize, the studios have been asked to:
“make the best movie possible that fits your medium.”
Changes may include female COGs.
Wiseman and Morgan add:
“The tone of the characters and how they interact with each other [lends to] the overall experience of the movie. Look at Aliens in terms of the dark environment, but then how much fun you have with the characters.”
“Even though the world is literally at an end, they still joke. They have real emotion and compassion.”
Before Wiseman concludes,
“There’s so much opinion out there about what this movie should be and shouldn’t be, it falls on a very small group of people… and I’m one of those people. Are you going to respect the game? Of course I am. It is a different experience from watching a movie, but it’s my job of translating it into the best cinematic story [possible].”
Thanks Bill!
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Comments 40 Responses to “Gears of War movie rears its head at Comic-con; Kate Beckinsale, new story, no wrestlers”
NO WRESTLERS TRY VIN DEASIL AS MARCUS
Ray Stevenson could be a good choice
It should be Mickey Rourke!
Kate Beckinsale as Maria? I’d think she’d make a better Anya, myself.
Female COGs? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life, and I won’t see the movie if that happens. Cast Dolph Lundgren as Marcus, he has the look & correct age, and he’s in great shape.
Dom: Adam Rodriguez
Baird: Robert Downy Jr.
Cole: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Tai: Luis Guzmán
Carmine: Brendon Frasier
Marcus is hard to say. Vin Diesel might work, but I don’t think he has the voice for it. Karl Urban maybe, but still iffy. As for the others, I think they’d do it well, some others would easily do well.
i think between johnny messner or dave batista to play maruc phoenix…i know no wrestlers but at least batista. messner and batista were born to play this role. they better not f**k up this movie.
johnny messner or dave batista as marcus
johnny messner or dave batista as marcus. one of them were born to play marcus fenix. len wiseman done mess uup this movie. dont just put no skinny S.O.B. get some real big bad ass motherF***ers…make us proud.
Marcus: Dave Batista
Dom: John Cena
Cole: The Rock
A. Carmine: Brendan Fraser
Baird: dunno ?????????????????
no way should there be females no way t will ruin it baldly get musley men wif a bad a** attudutte
this movie probably, will suck, just like other movies based on video games, however, since resident evil was a hit, i guess you need someone like that beautiful woman, to play the role of Anya. and Maria, kate, i dont know, batista i dont know, watching that smallville episode, already tells me he can’t act. and i hope the film is a prequel to the game because the game didn’t explain nothing.
Hi to all fellow GOGs i was just talking to a couple of mates after the footie about making a movie Gears Of War and here i come down on this site today and i think it should happen but a make a good movie stick to the plot and please choose the right people for this movie whether it is going to be a real life movie or well advance animation just make the main characters look the ones in the game but never the less here are my choice as Actors
Marcus Fenix
ominic Purcel (From Prison Break)
Dominic Santiago :The Rock
Augustus Cole :Lester Speight (The man himself)
Damon Baird :Ryan Reynolds
Minh Young Kim :Jason Scott Lee
Anya Stroud :Jessica Biel
Victor Hoffman :R. Lee Ermey
Now to me that would make for a perfect Gears of War movie team what do u guys think if u don’t know some of these actors just Google their names and compare there pictures next to the actual game characters, u will see it matches this should be the cast!!
How are they going to meke loucust that is going to be hard. And that person who said john cena as dom u are stuiped he isn’t mexican.
Marcus: Adam Rodruigez
Dom: Johnny Hanskette
Baird: Brad Pitt
Cole: Ving Rhames
Carmine: Robert Downey Jr
Kym: Vin Deasel
Personally i think that Josh Dumahal would be perfect as Baird.
I say this because
(A). he’s my favourite COG
(B). he both looks and sounds the part.
Anyone here who saw transformers ROTF remember when Optimus says
“What if we leave and you’re wrong?”
–long silence–
Lennix -quietly- “That’s a good question…”
I immedietly thought of baird when i was that.
please dont f*** up this movie it will mean so much to every fan of the game, Girl cogs i will not be happy with because it was such a hard hitting brutal game and i want the movie to be like that, the movie should still stick to the game and not go to fair from it,i know you guys probly are going to fuck it up,and cast marcus not a big dude or young one,marcus is a older guy and everyone looks up to him in the game so make a good choice,
PS: dont skip out on the gore i plan to see a MA or R Rated Movie
bruce willis would make a good marcus,just have to worry bout him beefing up,the guy that played the casino owner in the walking tall movie with the rock would be a great baird
marcus – dominic purcell (prison break)
dom – Amaury Nolasco (prison break)
cole – “the terrible” terry tate
baird – ryan reynolds or sean william scott (both would have to bulk up like crazy but both have the cocky/sarcastic attitude need. as far as the other ones go dom and amaury have worked together so they would work well as story line friends and are of an adequate size to play the roles and terry tate can just be himself.
If not for his lack of height, Jason Statham would make a great Marcus. Whoever said Robert Downey Jnr. as Baird was spot on as well. Lester Speight is Cole and Cole is Lester Speight, end of. Can any of us really picture a guy that’s supposed to be Cole without THAT voice?
They’re gonna have a hard time finding some guys with tree trunks for arms
Your blog is so informative ?keep up the good work!!!!
cole-the rock
marcus-batista
baird-brad pit
dom-robert downney jr
carmine-brendon fraser
minh-stone cold stave asten
i dont know about all the other charactors but i do know that COLE should be played by none other that TERRIBLE TERRY TATE the office linebacker. i thought that was him doing the voice for the game anyways. . . . . . think about it.
yo i think having female COGs would be a great idea and more realistic
female COG’s could work there is in the book’s why not the movie and besides anya is a female and a COG is she not, karl urban could make a good marcus they are more then a little simalar
why not let cole be him self? baired is easy just fine some dude how lookes like him and talks alout of trash. dom is sort of hard cant think of someone for him. fenex well theres a lout of guys. besides cant the make up artest make anyone look older. theres just one thing im wondering. is this before or after marcus gos to jail. cause we dont really see why. on part one carmine looks up to him because he fout at astrode fields or whatever yet he whent to jail for some other resin. so tecnicly who said cole or baired would be in it. what if the gears tryd to use female cogs but it faled. and what was marcuses squad before delta? lots of qustions butt zero ansewers
i am excited about this film. gears is my fav game. not just because of the graphics but the amazing story. i would love to see this movie to become a work of art not with just action. but with story, cinaphotgraphy and with all the major elements that make a master piece film. i do have high hopes. i hope that the love of story telling is see and felt in this film.
i think the obvious man for the job has got to be the man who created the caesarian section by round house kicking his way out of his mother womb. the man who when he does push up he isn’t really doing push ups he is pushing the world out the way of a meteor the one and only chuck Norris
oh yeah
ron perlman for marcus fenix, he basically resembles him, Lester speight for cole
NO wrestlers. Never in the history of cinema have those clowns made a good movie. Maybe as a cameo one can come in as marcus but overall i think they should write in their own story (whilst working with the good folks at epic) and cameo the characters from the VG story. That way nobody gets hurt and there is room for the director to make an awesome movie that escapes the clutches of the VG toouch of death
I agree with the people above who said Micke Rourke should play Marcus Fenix.
He would be the best choice concerning facial features and most important voice.
No wrestlers! some don’t know how to act.
As for the story E-Day would be good. Telling the stories of that and how Marcus ended up in prison, as well as Dom and his wife. And how Marcus dad is involved.
Gerard Butler- As Marcus
Sam Worthington-One of the rookies(always dies) lmao
the Rock-As Cole Train would be good, maybe even fifty cent.
The voice can be important but not really.
R. Lee Ermey-general
Fuck the general public. Make it follow the game story and put it out on dvd. Otherwise it WILL be shit. Count on it.
I’am a huge G.O.W. fan. When I read in the game informer of a movie, I had to look in on it. Now I wish I hadnt. I mean come on dude is so gonna screw this up. Kate Beckinsale as Maria, what, has he even seen the game. Maria is hispanic and so is her husband Dom. As far as girl Cog’s, another screw up, the girls r Anya and Maria and they r all shaped like women, they dont eat the Gears Crunch, and they wouldnt be able to hold the weight of the Gear. Half of the people that will be lining up to see this opening day are going to be Gear Heads, those people who have spent tons of money on DLC and merchandise. So to say it want be like the game, is just a douchebag thing and I think Weisman is a lil to full of himself. I do however agree with the one guy’s comment that it should be pre-game, you know, this is how it started. Get with the game developers and maybe read some of these forums, then you will realize that people are going to hate this movie, and trust me I play online and there are alot of us Gear Heads out there.
uggghhhh
There is no one who looks like Cole more than Terry Tate…in fact he does the voice for Augustus Cole. He is jacked…perfect size to do it.
Oded Fehr as dom
hes the guy that played carlos in resident evil
Read the books people there are female COGS Bernie and ALex.
even tho im a lil young, id be willing to try casting for Baird. Anyway, cast wise i think it should be this:
Marcus: Unknown, A NFL guy? or John Travolta?
Dom: Another NFL guy?
Baird: Meeee! if all else fails, a Hockey or Soccer player?
Tai: Jason Mamoa or Christopher Judge
Carmine: Zachary Levi or Shia LaBeouf, they both got the right kind of personality…
Hoffman: Deffinently R.Lee Ermey
Also i think some female Gears would be pretty cool, not just as pilots or medics but as ground pounders also
This movie needs to have a lot of gore bottom line. Also I have no Idea who they are going to cast for marcus that is so tuff