Directors Who Could Make a Kick-Ass Gears of War Film
1. Kathryn Bigelow
Credits: The Hurt Locker, Point Break
Ever since Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director Oscar in 2010 for The Hurt Locker, we've been waiting to see her tackle a big-budget action film.
The former wife of James Cameron has a similar knack for mixing memorable action scenes with heart and emotion. With her at the helm, Gears of War would be more than a mindless, male-oriented bloodfest. It could actually become that elusive, "quality" video game adaptation.
Bigelow can do action scenes like this in her sleep.
2. José Padilha
Credits: Elite Squad 2, the RoboCop remake
Anyone whose seen the director's work in Elite Squad 2 knows he can handle just about any action scene involving running, gunning and running while gunning. Given the director's recent statements about grounding his upcoming take on RoboCop within some very real, very character-driven stakes, Padilha seems like a no-brainer here. He seems like the type of filmmaker who can kick-start the Gears franchise with a strong mix of action and character-based set-pieces.
The faster this movie happens, the faster Lancers become available from Master Replicas.
3. Rupert Wyatt
Credits: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Given the track record of past video game adaptations, no one is expecting much from the Gears of war movie. Given the quality of the 2001 Planet of the Apes reboot, no one was expecting much from Rise of the Planet of the Apes either, but Rupert Wyatt managed to defy expectations and deliver a smart, engaging Apes prequel. Maybe he could surprise us all again with Gears of War.
He knows his way around mo-cap, clearly, and we'd bet dollars-to-donuts a GoW movie will rely heavily on that tech to realize the Locusts. Also, New Line is keen on cutting costs with this project. Wyatt proved to excel at that for Apes, which reportedly came in at $96 million. Wyatt is new enough on the Hollywood scene to not command a Spielberg-level budget, and he's proven that he can do spectacle at an affordable price. Given his talent and ambition, he could definitely give audiences' their money's worth, too.
Andy Serkis as a Locust? I'll allow it.
4. John McTiernan
Credits: Die Hard, Predator
With his legal troubles behind him, John McTiernan is looking for work. He's already secured the action-thriller Shrapnel as a comeback vehicle of sorts, but we're always of the "think bigger" mentality when it comes to the guy who gave us McClane and Dutch.
McT served as one of the best action directors of the 1980s and '90s. His sense of geography, of keeping the action clean and the characters' goals clear, is unparalleled. The last time he made a truly good popcorn entertainment was 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair. Gears could be the type of movie that puts him back on the A-List, and having a seasoned action veteran adapt one of the better video game titles out there is never a bad idea. He could do for Lancers what he did for Jesse Ventura's mini-gun ("Painless" FTW!) in Predator! Make this happen, Hollywood.
"It's like looking into a mirror, only...not."
5. Tony Scott
Credits: Top Gun, Crimson Tide
Tony Scott has been making slick, Bruckheimer-esque entertainment for more than two decades. And the guy has never really tackled an epic summer blockbuster.
His famous pink hat was recently thrown in the ring to helm a few big franchises, including The Wolverine. That didn't pan out, but that might be a good thing for Gears fans. Scott has yet to play in a sandbox as big as this, whereas his brother Ridley has logged tons of hours in this realm.
Scott's movies tend to provide slightly above-average character development to share screentime with the sexy visuals, and they are often fun, plot-driven entertainments. Putting Tony Scott in charge of a $150 million CG action fest could be the challenge the director needs and this material deserves. The COGs could do much worse than have a Scott Brother take their campaign to the big screen.
*Drops mic* That's your cue, Gears Fans: Sound off with your top picks for directors in the Comments below.
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