Skydance has closed a deal with screenwriter Derek Connolly (“Jurassic World,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”) to adapt Sega’s “Eternal Champions” video game series into a feature film, the company announced on Friday.
Originally released in 1993, “Eternal Champions” is a fighting game made for the Sega Genesis console. The game’s story follows an omniscient being known as the Eternal Champion who, in order to change the fate of a world on the brink of collapse, gathers the dead souls of individuals otherwise destined for greatness from different eras in history and pits them against each other in a fighting tournament. Those who lose remain in death, while the last survivor gets to regain their life, in hopes of bringing balance back to the universe.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce for Skydance. Toru Nakahara (“Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Knuckles,” “Golden Axe”) will produce for Sega. Rob Ree, who brought Skydance and Sega together, is executive producing. Aimee Rivera will oversee the project for Skydance.
Connolly most recently wrote the “Transformers/G.I. Joe” crossover film for Paramount Pictures and Hasbro Entertainment, along with the video game adaptation of “The Legend of Zelda” for Sony and Nintendo, which is currently in development with Wes Ball directing.
He previously wrote “Detective Pikachu” for Legendary Pictures, directed by Rob Letterman with Ryan Reynolds starring. One of the most sought-after writers for blockbuster franchises, Connolly received co-story by credit for “Star Wars: Episode IX” for Lucasfilm and co-wrote 2015’s record-breaking “Jurassic World,” which made $1.67 billion worldwide at Universal, as well as sequel “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”
Connolly also wrote “Kong: Skull Island,” directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts for Legendary, and “Safety Not Guaranteed,” directed by Colin Trevorrow and produced by the Duplass Brothers. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay in 2013 and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012. He is repped by Verve.
Coming off the hugely successful “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” and “The Family Plan,” Skydance’s upcoming live-action film slate includes “Balls Up” for Prime Video; “The Old Guard 2” for Netflix; “The Gorge,” “Fountain of Youth” and “Mayday” for Apple TV+; and “Mission: Impossible 8.”
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
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