A Mix of Fantasy, Reality, and Mystery
Let’s take a break from updates about The Last of Us‘s HBO adaptation to talk about some other upcoming video game adaptations–namely, Draugen and Gylt, which have just been selected by Entertainment company Goldfinch. Both titles were created using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. Goldfinch announced a development program with Unreal Engine back in October 2019, with the intent to identify independent video game IPs that could be selected for TV and film development. There was stiff competition, but the winners have been announced and we’re on-board with it. Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Or a good creepy romp through a surreal and melancholy world of nightmares, for that matter?
The press release states that “Goldfinch will now work with the Talenthouse community of creatives to produce and develop pitch treatments to turn the video game IPs into film and TV properties. The treatments of Draugen and Gylt will be made into a 90-second teaser trailer, to be released to the industry at the Cannes Film Festival, with the intention of packaging the projects ready for production.” It goes on to say that: “The partnership between Goldfinch, Unreal Engine and Talenthouse is in place to create an ecosystem for identifying, developing and monetising IP from video games developers.”
That sounds like the foundation of something really excellent to us, especially since they chose such intriguing titles to start with. Gylt tells the story of a girl who descends into an eerie and surreal nightmare realm in search of her young cousin, who went missing a month before. This quest leads her deep into the twisting halls of her reflected school while monsters dog her steps. Draugen is a walking simulator stripped down to its core elements–a compelling and tightly-woven narrative revolving around a scholar and his young ward, who arrive in a small Norwegian town searching for the scholar’s sister. When they make shore, they find the entire town abandoned, leaving the pair to uncover its many secrets. They’re both solid games with compelling stories, and we can’t wait to see what they look like on film.
What other games would you like to see adapted for screens? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.