The CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has responded to fan concern about the selection of Justin Lin as the director of the Helldivers film, after it emerged he leaned into not being a gamer for his pitch.
Helldivers 2 is an explosive co-op centered motion shooter that’s rather a lot like a online game model of cult sci-fi traditional Starship Troopers. You play as a disposable soldier in an ongoing galactic conflict, defending a fascist Tremendous Earth regime in opposition to alien robots known as Automatons and bugs known as Terminids, all the whereas preaching “Managed Democracy.” (By the way, Sony can also be engaged on a brand new Starship Troopers film, which ought to make for a considerably weird one-two punch of sci-fi satire.)
This week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Justin Lin is about to direct the upcoming Helldivers live-action movie adaptation. Lin is greatest identified for his work on the Quick & Livid movies, and was the director of the sequence from 2006’s The Quick and the Livid: Tokyo Drift to 2013’s Quick & Livid 6. He additionally directed 2016’s Star Trek Past, the remaining movie in the fashionable Star Trek trilogy, and 2021’s F9.
Nevertheless it was one paragraph in THR’s story that raised eyebrows inside the Helldivers neighborhood:
Lin will not be a gamer and leaned into that as a power when pitching his tackle the materials, stated insiders. He goals to discover the humanity in the characters and weave well timed themes into the story, whereas constructing out a world and mythology. There are many particulars ready to be drawn in, one thing that’s compelling to the filmmaker.
Some followers are actually apprehensive that Lin merely gained’t get what Helldivers is about as a result of he’s not a gamer and, presumably, hasn’t performed Arrowhead’s shooter. And due to that, some gamers imagine, the Helldivers film is at danger of lacking the online game’s vibe.
Over on the official Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani briefly addressed this concern. He first responded to one fan who requested if they may direct the Helldivers film as a substitute of Lin, saying: “let Justin Lin work his magic.”
Jorjani then responded to the following query from a fan:
“In case you guys have any sway with Sony over the film are you able to be certain the director performs the sport at least as soon as or at least sees some gameplay?”
Jorjani replied: “I belief Justin. He did an awesome job on the Star Trek film.”
Arrowhead will probably face this form of concern till followers see the Helldivers film in trailer type, or hear from Lin himself on his imaginative and prescient for the movie. And Helldivers will not be alone on this strategy. Amazon’s adaptation of God of Struggle is helmed by Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, who isn’t a gamer both.
However it’s in distinction to the scenario with the Elden Ring film, which is being directed by Ex Machina and Civil Struggle director and self-confessed Elden Ring superfan Alex Garland. In June, Garland instructed IGN he was on his seventh playthrough of FromSoftware’s epic fantasy RPG, and revealed the boss he discovered the hardest to take down.
As for Helldivers, in January, Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt insisted the studio should not have the remaining say on the Helldivers film as a result of it would not know something about making movies.
“We aren’t Hollywood individuals, and we do not know what it takes to make a film,” Pilestedt stated. “And due to this fact we do not, and should not, have remaining say.”
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.