Shinobi is the latest video game to get the big screen treatment

Back in the old days, there was no sure-fire indicator of box office poison more than a video game adaptation. The two mediums just didn’t gel. That has changed in recent years and now all kinds of gaming mascots are getting their chance to appear in a major motion picture or, at the very least, a streaming series. Case in point? They’re now making a movie based on Shinobi, as reported by Deadline.

For the uninitiated, Shinobi is a famous hack-and-slash game developed by Sega in which you play as a ninja. There have been plenty of sequels throughout the years, though they mostly share the same basic story. Joe Musashi, the ninja, must beat up a bunch of very bad dudes. That’s pretty much it.

In other words, this is a blank canvas in which the filmmakers can do pretty much whatever they want without angering the online lore-keepers. Sam Hargrave has been tasked to direct the film for Universal, which is actually a decent choice. He made both Extraction films, with a third one on the way. These are solid action flicks and Shinobi is an action game.

Ken Kobayashi is writing the screenplay, after working on the extremely underrated Sunny for Apple+. He was also involved with Moonfall and the Marvel adaptation Hit Monkey. Sega’s Toru Nakahara, who has produced everything from the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe, is also onboard.

Shinobi is still in the early stages of development, just like how most Shinobi players only get past the early stages of the game because it’s so dang hard. We don’t know when it’ll come out, nor do we have any casting news. We are, however, only a couple of months out from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Keanu Reeves is in that one.