logo
Jon M. Chu's 'Split Fiction' Movie Starring Sydney Sweeney Scores Amazon Deal

Jon M. Chu's 'Split Fiction' Movie Starring Sydney Sweeney Scores Amazon Deal

Geek Culture2 days ago

It appears the bidding war for the film rights to Split Fiction , the adaptation of Hazelight Studios' hit co-op game of the same name, is now over. According to Variety, Amazon MGM Studios has finalised the deal to acquire the project, which is set to team Wicked director Jon M. Chu and actress Sydney Sweeney.
Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the duo behind Deadpool & Wolverine , are penning the script. Additionally, Sweeney will serve as executive producer, alongside Story Kitchen's Timothy I. Stevenson, and Hazelight Studios' founder Josef Fares and COO Oskar Wolontis.
No other updates on the Split Fiction movie were shared, including potential casting, story details, and by extension, its accuracy to the source material. It's also unclear if Sweeney will play Zoe or Mio, the two playable characters in the game.
Written by Fares and Sebastian Johansson, Split Fiction follows the pair of authors who become trapped in the worlds they wrote. It features a genre-blending plot designed to complement its co-op gameplay, focusing on split-screen combat, platforming challenges, and distinct abilities for each character.
The title has won praise from critics and players alike, continuing the studio's impressive track record with over one million copies sold in two days. It Takes Two , released by the studio in 2021, is also being adapted into an upcoming film by Amazon and Seven Bucks Productions.
The Split Fiction movie is hardly the only video game-related stint on Sweeney's plate, as the Euphoria star will join forces with Transformers helmer Michael Bay to produce a live-action adaptation of Sega's classic 1986 arcade series, OutRun .
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Blumhouse Potentially Acquiring 'Saw' Rights, Reconnecting Co-Creator James Wan With Franchise
Blumhouse Potentially Acquiring 'Saw' Rights, Reconnecting Co-Creator James Wan With Franchise

Geek Culture

time38 minutes ago

  • Geek Culture

Blumhouse Potentially Acquiring 'Saw' Rights, Reconnecting Co-Creator James Wan With Franchise

In a deal that would mark a full-circle moment for the Saw franchise, Deadline has reported that Blumhouse is in talks to acquire the ownership stake of the intellectual property (IP) from Twisted Pictures. It's an old back-and-forth between the two companies, but if the takeover goes through, the cult horror series will partially be back in the hands of original film director James Wan, also credited as co-creator alongside scribe Leigh Whannell. Lionsgate, distributor of the movies since 2004, is set to remain a partner. Blumhouse, founded by Jason Blum, merged with Wan's production banner, Atomic Monster, early last year. Some of its notable upcoming titles for the year include M3GAN 2.0 , releasing on 27 June, and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 , slated to hit the silver screen in December. As for Saw , it went against the slim odds of an 18-day shoot and a US$1.2 million production budget to become one of the most profitable horror movies of all time. The feature earned a global haul of US$104 million, spawning several sequels that centred on trapped victims of notorious serial killer John 'Jigsaw' Kramer trying to survive through physical or psychological torture. The first follow-up, titled Saw II , debuted one year later in October 2005, with the last instalment being 2023's Saw X . An 11th film was previously in development for September 2025, but is no longer on the release slate after conflicting producer visions stalled the process. Veteran actor Tobin Bell was originally set to reprise his role as Jigsaw, and while it's unclear how things will now pan out, Billy the Puppet — the ventriloquist dummy used in the films by Jigsaw — assured fans that 'the game is never over'. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Atomic Monster Blumhouse productions James Wan Saw

‘Predator: Killer of Killers' Director Dan Trachtenberg Discusses Aliens and… Terminator?
‘Predator: Killer of Killers' Director Dan Trachtenberg Discusses Aliens and… Terminator?

Geek Culture

time9 hours ago

  • Geek Culture

‘Predator: Killer of Killers' Director Dan Trachtenberg Discusses Aliens and… Terminator?

Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaefer and his team of soldiers embarked on their doomed rescue mission in 1987, only to be hunted by an invisible alien threat, the Predator franchise has become synonymous with gratuitous live-action violence, filled with heaping amounts of blood and no shortage of spine-ripping gore. And across multiple sequels and crossovers, it has been something that fans just can't get enough of. Everything is about to change with the arrival of Predator: Killer of Killers , as the streaming film marks the series' first foray into the animated space, and opens up a new realm of visual storytelling possibilities that can't be easily and effectively replicated in a live-action format. From smooth, slick anime-like movements to whole new levels of stylistic destruction and modern animation, director Dan Trachtenberg ( Cloverfield Lane ), who also directed the last Predator sequel, Prey (2022), realised that he could introduce new elements to the lore, and connect with audiences in ways that the live-action films could not. 'I distinctly remember, as a kid, Predator was one of the first R-rated movies I was allowed to see, and the violence really blew my mind,' Trachtenberg recalls in an exclusive interview with Geek Culture. 'And I think around the same time, I eventually saw Akira for the first time, and that movie, as an animated film, was one of the more emotionally intense and heavy movies I had seen, and also one of the coolest action movies I had ever seen.' Based on the manga of the same name, the 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action adaptation has been lauded as one of the most influential anime films ever made. Trachtenberg's goals for this film are twofold – to bring the Predator franchise to a medium it had yet to be in, while simultaneously fostering that 'first R-rated movie watching' experience he had, balancing both incredible violence with a story full of heart and emotional intensity. When it comes to stories, Predator: Killer of Killers offers not one, but three tales, with the anthology film covering three distinct characters across different points in history – a Viking in a raiding party on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his brother in a battle for succession, and an allied pilot during World War II – as all three encounters something far deadlier than an enemy from that era. The time periods might differ, but one thing remains constant throughout – they are all hunted by a member of the galaxy's deadliest predator. With three stories, each with its own associated Predator, one would think that Predator: Killer of Killers would be a non-stop violence fest throughout its 90-minute runtime, but that was never the intent, to triple the same tale of man vs. alien. Instead, Trachtenberg wants to offer that same balance between action and deep character development, in the same vein as his 2022 prequel, Prey. 'Since the first Predator movie, which essentially was a slasher movie, you're bonding with human characters, and you're seeing them picked off one by one by an unseen creature. [This] same thing was somewhat a part of Prey , although I think Prey decides to be even more character forward and more drama forward before the intensity unfolds,' he explains. 'It was really important to me to carry that forward with Killer of Killers , but not just with having characters that were on their own emotional story, but also featuring an action sequence before the Predator even shows up. So there really is an exciting conflict in the stories that only gets amplified when the Predator becomes a part of it, harkening back to the franchise's DNA.' Even though a stronger emphasis has been placed on the human side of the equation, Trachtenberg and the team are still well aware that most viewers are in it for the grand reveal of each Predator, thus making huge strides to ensure each hunter fits well into its associated time period, which sets up an interesting prospect considering how this film brings the franchise further back in time even, compared to Prey's 1719 tribal setting. 'Set in the 800s, we're seeing a Predator that is before even Prey , but still has to feel far more formidable and advanced than our Earthlings,' he explains, 'So that's where it's very singular weapon came in, something that certainly speaks to technology and does things that human weaponry cannot do, but also seems to be a little bit more in the the Viking aesthetic.' And from the snippets seen in trailers, this statement certainly rings true, with the Vikings facing off against a hulky beast with an energy weapon for a right hand, making it less technologically advanced than the usual Predators fans are used to, but still much superior to the opposing Vikings, which by comparison, might as well be fighting the creature with literal sticks and stones. It's not just the Vikings who will be having a tough go at it, though, as the Predators are also leaving their mark on feudal Japan, and a time period where society has been ravaged by World War II, each bringing their own unique tools to the table. 'For our Japan chapter, we wanted to lean into something that felt more stealth-like. We loved the idea of ninja meets ninja, and the Predator has always been this 'ninja-like' creature, and it was exciting to see game meet game.' Trachtenberg adds. 'And then, of course, World War II, the pure joy of realising we could tell a story that would be almost entirely set in the air, and have the Predator function the way it normally does on the ground, except from his spaceship exclusively, still unleashing all of his fun toys and seeing if humans could outsmart that gauntlet was really exciting.' But what's next for the series? There's no secret that the filmmaker is in the midst of the upcoming Predator: Badlands film, which marks the seventh film in the mainline series. Starring Elle Fanning ( Maleficent , A Complete Unknown ), the movie does not take place on Earth and is instead set on the Predator species' home world, and will focus on the culture of their species. But what ignited excitement among the fandom was the revelation that Fanning was playing the role of Thia, an android created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation – the same company that has sought to exploit the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. The appearance of the company's logo left fans anticipating some level of crossover between the two massive franchises, each featuring a distinct species of formidable alien hunters. While there have been two Alien vs. Predator films in the mid-2000s, both received negative reviews, but with the recent success of Alien: Romulus (2024), and excitement for the upcoming Alien: Earth TV series, a revival of the crossover has become top of mind among fans. Elle Fanning's Thia in Predator: Badlands When pressed about the hints of a connected Predator and Alien universe, Trachtenberg merely points to established lore that already showed that Predator and Alien have long shared a connected universe, as 1990's Predator 2 featured a Xenomorph skull hanging in the trophy room of a Predator ship during its closing scene. 'Even before Predator 2 that featured the Xenomorph skull in the trophy room at the end, there's always been a shared DNA between Terminator and Predator and Aliens,' notes the filmmaker, who references James Cameron's iconic franchise. Comic book fans would remember that all three franchises were involved in a limited series from 2000. 'They're all action, horror, sci-fi that came out around the same time,' he notes. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) For Trachtenberg, the dichotomy between the Alien and the Predator was always interesting, with the former being more of a creature, while the latter being a character, possessing 'intelligence, a code and a culture that separates him from all the other action horror films that came out of the 80s', something that allows the apex hunter to gain all the new stories over the years, with an underlying 'terrestrial idea' that can link to different cultures, iconography and aesthetics. 'Certainly with Predator and Alien, they've intersected over time, and as evidenced in Badlands , there's some further linkage there,' he hints, while also adding, 'I think I have no interest in taking all the action figures and smashing them together inside one movie, but there's certainly something fun about telling a story that's very world-expansive.' Predator: Killer of Killers premieres on 6 June 2025 on Disney+ and Hulu in the United States. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

'Fantastic Four: The First Steps' Final Trailer Drops Comics-Accurate Catchphrase
'Fantastic Four: The First Steps' Final Trailer Drops Comics-Accurate Catchphrase

Geek Culture

time9 hours ago

  • Geek Culture

'Fantastic Four: The First Steps' Final Trailer Drops Comics-Accurate Catchphrase

Family is front and centre of the latest trailer for Fantastic Four: The First Steps , featuring bonding moments sprinkled amid all the superhero action, alongside a first look at a certain someone. The celebration of family is established in the opening scene of the clip, with Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm going, 'Family — it's about connecting to something bigger than yourself.' As baby Franklin Richards is officially revealed, she continues: 'Whatever life throws at us, we'll face it together. As a family,' and the attention turns to various displays of the group's dynamics, including Johnny Storm (Joseph Quin, Stranger Things 4 ) giving The Thing a fist-bump, and the Human Torch's quip about taking back 'every single bad thing I've been saying about you' to Reed ( Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us ). And speaking of The Thing, played by The Bear 's Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the pic, the character finally gets time with his catchphrase from the comic books. Well, sort of — he responds with a 'Oh yeah!' after Johnny yells, 'Is it clobbering time?'. It's not all fluff, though, for two threatening forces are looming in the background: Julia Garner's Silver Surfer, and the terrifying Galactus (Ralph Ineson, Harry Potter films), who has also been turned into a popcorn bucket (via a separate trailer). Indeed, the greatest strength of Marvel's first family is each other, especially since Franklin has yet to grow into the powerful reality warper with god-like abilites that he is in the comics. The mutant is expected to play a role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film that will reunite this cast with the wider characters of the MCU, including Robert Downey Jr, who will play longtime Fantastic Four nemesis, Victor von Doom aka Dr Doom. Fantastic Four: The First Steps marks the first live-action debut of Franklin and Shalla-Bal, the female version of the Silver Surfer portrayed by Garner. Matthew Wood, known for voicing General Grevious across various Star Wars projects, joins the cast as robot H.E.R.B.I.E, with Natasha Lyonne ( Orange is the New Black ), John Malkovich ( In the Line of Fire ), and Paul Walter-Hauser ( Cobra Kai ) also starring. Matt Shakman directed a screenplay written by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson. The first film in Phase Six of the MCU is scheduled to release on 25 July. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Disney fantastic four Marvel Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store