The Doom Movie, For Real This Time?

A movie based on Doom has long been the dream of computer gamers worldwide, but ever since the first rumors spread as long ago as 1996, the chances of such a movie ever getting made seemed to become more and more remote, and most people dismissed it as a pipe dream. The surprise was apparent, then, when The Holywood Reporter broke the news today that Warner Bros. Pictures is in final negotiations to pick up the feature film rights to id Software Inc.'s video game property "Doom" in a progress-to-production deal that will see the project go in front of the cameras in 15 months, or the rights revert back to the software company.

Is the picture finally out of development hell and onto solid ground? Time will tell, but until then, here's the rest of The Hollywood Reporter's article.

Studio-based John Wells Prods. will produce "Doom" with recently departed worldwide production president-turned-producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

Once the deal is firmly in place, a writer will be put on board to pen the screenplay. Although the video game was controversial because of its violence when it was originally released, the feature film version will aim for a PG-13 rating.

"Doom," a first-person shooter, launched in 1993, and a third installment is scheduled for release next year. The feature film's story line will most resemble the third "Doom," which is set in the future at a paramilitary base on Mars, where a scientific experiment goes awry and accidentally opens a portal to hell. The vastly outnumbered hero fights off the forces of hell as they come from the portal onto the deserted base. This will be the basis for the feature version, without the constraints of the first-person shooter format.

Todd Hollenshead, CEO of the Mesquite, Texas-based id, said his company "really scrutinized the potential partners" who were interested in the project as there had been several failed attempts to bring the project to the big screen in the past. With the third installment of the game due out next year, the company didn't want to "swing and miss."

"Given how important the franchise is to us, we wanted to make sure that we didn't miss out on the opportunity to make a movie again," Hollenshead said. " 'Doom' is our baby, the crown jewel of our intellectual property franchises, and Warners' interest in it was more than just talk. It actually puts on paper that if they don't move at a satisfactory pace, we can take it somewhere else. We're just a little game developer here in Texas, not a big movie company, so we were more interested in a commitment to make a movie rather than talk about how excited someone was about it."

Added Wells: "The opportunity to create a franchise of this well-known property is inspiring, and we look forward to the challenge of bringing it to the screen."

First Post!

....eh, I wish I could feel more enthusiastic about this. The problem is that I know a bit better. There has been an incredible amount of franchise lameness lately. Whenever a movie, game, book or record is or is going to be the big thing a movie, a computer game, a soundtrack album (with lots of songs that doesn't appear in the original product) and a bunch of books. Shoot, there'll probably even be a McDonalds menu (god forbid!).

It used only to be Disney movies, but now it's, frankly, everything in the entertainment industry.

Still, somewhere deep in my old doomin' heart I hope that the movie will be decent and not utter shit like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and <shudder> Mario Bros the Movie.

It could possibly have great cult potential, but it could also just be another entry in the endless examples of over-commercialisation.

I'll believe it when I see it in the cinema.

okay. so serious talk of a doom based movie once again arises in the industry. I did like the little proviso that warner loses the rights if they sit on it to long. the pg-13 aim is iffy in my book. resident evil was rated r and wasn't that gory or scary. lets hope this movie doesn't become another part of the long list of bad video game-to-movie projects.

They'd better pray to someone-or-other that this film works - otherwise heads will roll via the medium of heavily-armed fans.

The whole PG-13 side of things, however, makes me EXTREMELY dubious.

I'd be stoked if the movie industry didn't ruin everything it touched. PG-13? All people that grew up with Doom are WAY past the PG-13 age my friends. This is something the stupid studio does to sell more tickets. They limit their audience base by making an R film, but with a lower rating the quality of the picture may suffer. This all kinda sucks in my opinion. I'm not a huge fan of movies anyway. Why not leave it alone?

"There's going to be a Doom movie"...

me rejoices!

"It's going to be rated PG-13"...

What, is the movie also going to have green blood?

Resident Evil wasn't godawful ... RE and Mortal Kombat so far have been really the only two game-to-movie adaptations that were half-decent.

Let's see if Doom can be the third.

the RE movie r0x0rs. So does it's soundtrack.

I hope have more than just the one Doom marine (think Alien, Predator and any war film), if only to make it more frightening as they slowly get ripped apart during the film. Otherwise it'll look like an arnie film, god forbid DOOM ends up like commando :(

karthik says:
"It's going to be rated PG-13"...

What, is the movie also going to have green blood?

lmao. but....

Use3D said:

All people that grew up with Doom are WAY past the PG-13 age my friends.

they are also trying to sell doom 3 with this movie, so let the yungins in to see 1337 horrorshow and they buy the game. not to mention getting the older games on green blood advanced.

I hope they make Bruce Campbell the doom guy.

It better be good.

pg-13. bah

hm... knowing id, theyll probobly push pg13 to the limit and since id has sent all the crap doom3 scirpts out the window, their scrutiny is good and i doubt the movie will be that bad.

God, a movie of Doom? No!!!!!! 11111. If you've been keeping up with the movie thread in General, you'd kinda figure that this is not going to work out real well. Things are going downhill if the movie really is made.

Deathman said:

I hope they make Bruce Campbell the doom guy.

I second that. But it would go from horror to comedy...

/me takes this as an omen of the impending Apocalypse.

Common sense tells us that a bad game = a bad movie. I mean, this is like making a movie out of Pong.

What a very strange cooincidence!! I write a stupid little script cause im bored as f*ck then 3 days after i send it to doom radio this happens. Pretty odd coincidence? Maybe they are just gonna force me to stop sending it to people with legal crap like "blah blah you will affect the gross of the crap and the crap and crap like that crap". Oh well tho, i wasnt really expecting it to be seen by more than 4 people anyways, heh.

Anyways, I just saw Ballistic the other day, and it was rated R. R?!! There was like bearly any blood, no nudity (damnit) and bearly any swearing. I mean c'mon, eyes wide shut was R rated :). If doom is gonna be pg-13, yikes, this could be a pretty bad thing :(.

What are you implying, my dear? You might want to step a bit more carefully with statements as this.

Let's see: Mario Bros the movie was absolutely horrible, but Mario Bros is a damn good computer game and a true classic.

So, I don't see the logic of your statement.

Arnold :)

O HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!

Arnold, Big (fucking?) Guns and a huge pile of gutted monsters... that's what I want.

BILL FUCKING PAXTON AND BRUCE FUCKING CAMPBELL.

That is all.

In fact, they should even re-enact the scene on the cover of the original Doom where one marine is firing into a pit of demons, one of which has grabbed his leg, and another marine is in the background running toward the pit of demons (to help?). Uh... or maybe not.

I'll stick to my first statement, though.

no i want to see the screenshot where he first sees the cyberdeamon and it should like the startup screen lije in doom2. that would be awsome as hell.

anyway i heard that vd is going to play the part. he was good in xxx and in f&f but i think that silvester stalon has the right look with guns. you know the face and the lip thinkg with no shirt and his muscles are bulging and its just cool!! like in rambo!!

Vin Diesel is NOT the right guy for Doom. NOT NOT NOT NOT.

Who remembers the storyline in the text that came with Doom? Vin Diesel is tough-looking, but when I think "veteran, hardened in combat," Vin Diesel is far too clean.

After the horribleness that was Resident Evil, I have no faith that they'll make a good movie. Everything hollywood touches turns to shit. I was really hoping with all the uber creative and talented people working at id, they'd make a CGI movie in house using the DOOM 3 engine. That would seem like a logical step but apparently not.

Why do I have the feeling their gonna screw up yet another great franchise / concept?

Hiya.

What? You guys are worried about DOOM sucking or something? It's PG-13..how can they go wrong? I mean, go take a look at what good old Warner Brothers are doing with the ne Superman movie. If DOOM is even *half* as good as that script...well, we are in for a real treat!

PS: FOR THE SARCASM IMPAIRED, THE ABOVE WAS A STEAMING, MOUNT-EVEREST SIZED HEAP OF SARCASM!

Here's the link to the Superman script if you guys have any doubts, this should assuage them:

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13350

^_^

Paul L. Ming

PPS: You may want to remove any knives, guns, or other dangerous items from your immediate vacinity when you read that Superman script. Trust me.

The idea of A DOOM movie is music to my ears...The sound of hearing its probly gunna be PG-13 burns my ears into oblivion.

With all regards, if the movie is made, It betta be good.

Btw the Mario Bros. Movie wuz beyond crappy, it had like nothing to do with the game, and it suked, but the Mario games are fun imo :)

What the heck do ya expect them to make of mario brothers? I mean, a bunch of pixel plumbers shooting fireballs at turtles and shrinks when he gets hurt. Not to mention going through pipes and breaking blocks to get to secret places. How the heck were you supposed to make the movie like that game when the game didnt even really protray any type of reality or rules.

It could litterally be interpreted in any way someone wants, much like a book. Thats why book readers always say the book was better, because they could think of it the way they wanted it to be. It is their imagination. This is the same for game movies. I am sure every single person out there has a different view of what a "real" doom world would be like, because the story isnt detailed enough about anything. Everyone has their own conclusions, so you can't expect a game movie to be perfectly how you wanted, because they CAN'T be!