Split Fiction

[BluBonnet]

I haven't played the game, but that image sure makes it seem like this is the closest thing to Tron since... Tron.

‘Split Fiction’ Movie in the Works: Bidding War Begins for Rights to Adapt Hit Video Game

A film adaptation of “Split Fiction,” the hot new co-op game from “It Takes Two” developer Hazelight Studios, is in the works, Variety has learned.

Sources at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco have confirmed that media company Story Kitchen (led by the team that shepherded “It Takes Two” into a film project now set up at Amazon) is putting together the film’s cast, writers and director into a package as offers for the rights keep coming in from multiple top Hollywood studios.

Variety, which is on the ground at GDC this week, is continuing to monitor the bidding war, with more details on the project to come.

Representatives for Hazelight Studios and Story Kitchen did not immediately respond to request for comment Thursday.

Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, “Split Fiction” blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of authors trapped in the worlds they wrote. “Split Fiction” features gameplay mechanics involving split-screen combat, platforming challenges and differing abilities for each character.

The game is a hit with players and critics alike, receiving positive reviews and massive sales. According to Hazelight, the game sold more than two million copies in the first week following its March 6 release, and that number continues to rise at a rapid clip.

“Split Fiction” was first announced at the 2024 Game Awards by Fares, but began development immediately after the release of Hazelight’s critically acclaimed “It Takes Two” in 2021. The film rights to “It Takes Two” were snapped up by Amazon in April 2022.

[HipsterTrash]

Good game. Crazy how fast this announcement of a live adaption came.

Don't think this or It Takes Two should get movies though.

[BluBonnet]

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[HipsterTrash]

Oof. So far this is makin' me stick with the game.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by HipsterTrash

Oof. So far this is makin' me stick with the game.

Is it a really good game?

[witheygull]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Is it a really good game?

The notedly curmudgeonly reviewer Yahtzee praised the gameplay:

Fully Ramblomatic - Split Fiction

and trashed the writing:

Semi-Ramblomatic - Split Fiction

[BluBonnet]

Nah, I'll stick with Sydney Sweeney...

[HipsterTrash]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Is it a really good game?

My gf and I really liked it. Hazelight's last two games hold special places for us.

Originally Posted by witheygull

The notedly curmudgeonly reviewer Yahtzee praised the gameplay:

[Show spoiler]Fully Ramblomatic - Split Fiction

and trashed the writing:

[Show spoiler]Semi-Ramblomatic - Split Fiction

Yes, Hazelight writing is kind of hammy. On the nose schmaltz kind of stuff. But if you can buy into that and it's world it's not a problem.

Also it's rich that Yahtzee is calling something bad writing when his books are trash.

[Star Lord]

The game released barely a month ago. Maybe having Sydney is a surefire way to greenlight everything these days. But I'll believe it's getting made when the production begins!

[BluBonnet]

Per Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: The movie business is on a much needed hot streak. How the momentum impacts two plum packages remains to be seen. One of them, the feature adaptation of the video game adaptation Split Fiction, has Wicked helmer Jon M. Chu attached to direct what will be another two-hander with female leads. Sydney Sweeney is one of them, and Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese are the writers. They are the scribes behind Deadpool & Wolverine, the Deadpool and Zombieland films. Not surprisingly after the smash results of the screen adaptation of the Minecraft vidgame, bids are high and a deal is getting close. I’ve heard bid numbers in the multiple millions from Sony and Amazon MGM, with the latter in strong position to take it off the table, and it will likely be settled by early next week.
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[Mr. Chaverria]

It's a real good co-op game. There aren't a lot of those around generally. I really wish I could do solo on their games though. But they're real good games w/ good stories.

[BluBonnet]

Amazon MGM Studios In Talks To Acquire Hot Video Game Package ‘Split Fiction’ Teaming Jon M. Chu & Sydney Sweeney

Amazon MGM Studios is finalizing a deal to acquire Split Fiction, a hot feature package based on the video game of the same name, which is set to team Wicked helmer Jon M. Chu and actress Sydney Sweeney, sources tell Deadline.

We’re told the deal is coming in at north of $2 million. We were first to report on bidding for the project a couple of weeks ago, when Sony was among others in the race. Script is by Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese, the duo behind recent Marvel Studios hit Deadpool & Wolverine.

Developed by Hazelight Studios and powered by Unreal Engine, Split Fiction centers on two writers — Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster — who become trapped inside a simulation created by Rader Publishing, a tech company that uses AI to mine authors’ ideas. The pair must work together to escape as they navigate through surreal environments, inspired by their respective genres of sci-fi and fantasy. Sweeney will play one of the two authors, though it’s presently unclear which one it will be.

In addition to Split Fiction, we a couple of weeks ago shared an update on Doug Liman’s undersea supernatural film Deeper, starring Tom Cruise. We reported that Ana de Armas is poised to co-star in the flick, following an astronaut who encounters a terrifying force while on a deep dive into a never-before-explored trench. Originally set up at MGM, when the studio bought a spec from Max Landis, the film has been in development for nearly a decade. We hear McQuarrie is currently involved in penning the script. Originally, Bradley Cooper was to star, with Kornél Mundruczó directing; Idris Elba and filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur teamed on a later iteration that likewise failed to move forward.

[Prohibida]