Derek Connolly has been hired the write the script for Sony Pictures’ upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie. An adaptation of Hideo Kojima’s iconic Metal Gear video game series, which follows special forces operatives Solid Snake and Big Boss, has been in the works for several years. The film was originally supposed to release sometime in 2011 but was delayed numerous times until Sony halted production altogether.
In the years since the project was first announced, a number of filmmakers – from chastised directors such as Uwe Boll to acclaimed directors such as Quentin Tarantino – have expressed interest in making the movie, with The Kings of Summer director Jordan Vogt-Roberts eventually signing on to helm the project in 2014. However, the film didn’t start to move forward until after Vogt-Roberts’ Kong: Skull Island hit theaters earlier this year. The director said he was testing screenwriters by having them play the games – and it seems that he and the studio have found their ideal candidate.
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Variety reports that Sony Pictures has hired Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom scribe Derek Connolly to pen the screenplay for Vogt-Roberts’ Metal Gear Solid movie adaptation. Connolly previously worked with Vogt-Roberts on the director’s MonsterVerse installment, Kong: Skull Island, and he co-wrote the original draft of Star Wars: Episode IX alongside Colin Trevorrow (before the director was booted from the project).
Connolly is an ideal choice for the project considering his history working alongside the director as well as his aptitude for constructing blockbuster films set within overarching universes such as Universal’s Jurassic Park series and Warner Bros.’ MonsterVerse. What’s concerning for fans, though, is how much he actually knows about the games he will be adapting. The Metal Gear series is one of the most expansive titles in the gaming industry – and franchise fans have high hopes for the long-awaited adaptation, especially since past video game movies have failed to meet the bar.
Monsters: Dark Continent writer Jay Basu wrote the original draft of the screenplay for the Metal Gear Solid movie; it’s unclear what will happen to his script, but it seems that it will at least be partially rewritten by Connolly, if not be given a page-one rewrite. Vogt-Roberts recently discussed the possibility of making the movie R-rated, though he said that would depend entirely upon the film’s story and script. Aside from moving into pre-production and then principal photography, fans are undoubtedly waiting to find out who will be playing the titular character. Whoever it is, hopefully, they are up to the task.
