Johan Pilestedt, the creative director at Arrowhead Game Studios, recently confirmed that the developers of the Helldivers game won’t play a major role in the production of its movie adaptation. When asked on X about the studio’s involvement, Pilestedt gave a rather nuanced response. He said, “The short answer is yes. The long answer is that we’ll see.” He further clarified that they aren’t film experts. “We are not Hollywood people, and we don’t know what it takes to make a movie. And therefore we don’t, and shouldn’t, have final say,” he added.
Currently, the Helldivers movie is in its early stages of development. Based on Sony’s announcement last week at CES, it appears that Arrowhead won’t have a lead role in its production. Of course, things might evolve over time, but don’t expect a collaborative effort from the game’s creators, akin to what happened with The Last of Us TV series.
As of now, no specific names have been made public regarding who will spearhead the Helldivers project. Fans are curious about how the film will bring to life the exhilarating experience of battling space bugs and robots as dedicated space marines under a satirical fascist empire. The game itself draws heavy inspiration from the 1997 movie Starship Troopers. Interestingly, this cult classic, which Sony owns, could influence the adaptation’s direction.
PlayStation Productions is set to team up with Sony Pictures for this film, but many details remain uncertain. Since its inception in 2019, PlayStation Productions has been busy developing movies and TV shows based on Sony’s popular gaming titles, such as Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, and The Last of Us. Helldivers is just one of the several projects on their slate, with most lacking a concrete release date. Sony has also announced films based on games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, and Gravity Rush.
