Sony Television Studios President Katherine Pope Takes ‘Methodical and Thoughtful’ Approach to Turning Video Games Into TV
Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope says the company is being “methodical and thoughtful” about which video game IPs it turns into television series.
“We are so lucky to have such a strong relationship with our partners at PlayStation, and we absolutely are continuing to build more and more series together. That said, we are being pretty methodical and thoughtful about it,” Pope told TheWrap. “This IP is so special and valuable that we would rather take our time and get it right, than rush and get it wrong. So far, we have strong teams working on ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’ and ‘God of War.’ I wish I could tell you more about them, but I’m sworn to secrecy!”
Sony’s recent TV credits include HBO’s Emmy-nominated hit “The Last of Us” and the live-action adaptation of “Twisted Metal,” premiering Thursday on Peacock.
“One might think it’s easier to develop series based on IP, but in many ways, it’s harder than an original idea because there needs to be a balance between keeping the foundational pieces of the source material and infusing new creative ideas to bring a TV show to life. You have to hold tight to the original IP’s core values, while keeping your eye on how to expand it into a living, breathing tv series,” Pope told TheWrap. “In this case, we had Michael Jonathan Smith at the helm, and his vision never wavered. ‘Twisted Metal’ is bananas in all the best ways — it’s dark and seriously messed up, but it’s also so so funny, emotional, romantic and even hopeful.”
“Horizon Zero Dawn,” which was released on PlayStation 4 in 2017, is an open-world action adventure game from Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Studios. A follow-up game, “Horizon Forbidden West,” was released in Feb. 2022 on PS4 and PS5. The games have also been spun off into comic book series and merchandise, and the follow-up game even attracted “The Matrix” star Carrie Ann-Moss to join its cast.
“Horizon” is set in a fictional future where an apocalyptic event caused by artificial intelligent robots has wiped out most life on Earth. The humans that populate the planet now represent a primitive, tribal society with no knowledge of the old world that exists around them, and they live among mysterious and dangerous machines resembling animals and dinosaurs that now roam the Earth. The game follows Aloy, a young woman and outcast who holds the key to understanding the ancient past, and who’s equipped with an old piece of technology she calls a Focus that allows her to understand the machines and their weaknesses.
In May 2022, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO and Chairman Tony Vinciquerra said an unscripted Horizon TV series was in development for Netflix.
Meanwhile, “God of War” made its debut in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, followed by “God of War II” released on PS2 in 2007, “God of War III” released on the PlayStation 3 in 2010 and the prequel “Ascension” released on the PS3 in 2013. Other games in the franchise include “Chains of Olympus” (2008) and “Ghost of Sparta” (2010) for the PlayStation Portable and 2018’s “God of War” and 2022’s “God of War Ragnarök” for the PlayStation 4.
The games follow Kratos, the titular god who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in Ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son to fulfill her final wish by spreading her ashes from the highest peak. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one that will test the bonds between father and son, as well as force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.
Sony Pictures Television is co-producing the series with Amazon Studios for Prime Video, in association with PlayStation Productions, and is being developed and written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (“Children of Men”), along with “The Wheel of Time” showrunner Rafe Judkins.
When asked about what video game he would love to see turned into a movie or TV show next, “Twisted Metal” star Anthony Mackie said “Metal Gear Solid.”
“There’s so many video games that I would love to see turned into movies just so you can go on a journey with those characters,” he told TheWrap. “They already did ‘Max Payne,’ they did so many of them already. It’s just another wave of it now. But I would love to do ‘Metal Gear Solid.’ I feel like there’s so many characters that we learned of and we fell in love with through video games that would make cool IP to turn into television shows and movies.”
His co-star Stephanie Beatriz didn’t have any particular video game properties in mind that she’d like to see get the Hollywood treatment, but noted she wants to see more original storytelling.
“I’m excited for other creators to be able to delve into IP that has already existed and maybe get in there and mix it up and create something new,” she said.
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