In a surprising turn of events, the Just Cause franchise is reportedly getting a film adaptation, and whilst it may be one of the most obvious to adapt to the big screen, it’s been so quiet gaming-wise for the franchise, that many never expected it to happen.
Original franchise creator Christopher Sundberg weighed in on X, speaking to the irony of the film’s potential existence.
A Just Cause Film Has Been Talked About for Years
Talk of a Just Cause film has been swirling for years, first cropping up around 2011. The long-running action franchise has seen four entries since 2006 and has remained quite popular over the years. 2015’s Just Cause 3 received positive reviews, while its 2018 sequel did not fair quite as well but was not received terribly.
Christopher Sundberg, the original creator of the franchise, shared his thoughts about the film on X, stating, “I’m waiting on the sidelines here. After all, I only created the IP.” Currently, it is unclear if he has any involvement in the film, though, in his comments, he said that he “can’t wait to have a chat with him at some point to go through the origins of the IP,” hinting that he might have some involvement with the project. He also ruminated on the irony of the game becoming a film.
I'm waiting on the side-lines here. After all, I just created the IP… Originally, the game was a parody on action movies, so the IP makes it's return back to its roots. I hope they've got a meaty budget to match the explosions in the game. 😀 #JustCause https://t.co/35a0dMc78Z
— Christofer Sundberg 🧨💦⚔️ (@CHSundberg) May 30, 2024
Just Cause has always been inspired by schlock action movies, often starring ultra-masculine and cool protagonists that blow up everything that moves. For the series to make the jump to the silver screen, it is somewhat of a full-circle moment.
The series is known for its explosions of epic proportion and high levels of destruction, so a film would need to put in a lot of work to live up to what players can already do from the comfort of their living rooms.
Video Game Adaptations Are Very Hard To Get Right
There is always the potential that a big, bombastic, paper-thin action movie can work. There have been several very popular video game adaptations released in the last five years, such as The Last of Us, Fallout, Arcane, and Twisted Metal.
However, for every The Last of Us, there is an Uncharted, which is itself based on popular action-adventure movies, so becoming one felt like a pointless step back, and it failed to live up to the source material. Some things just tend to work better as games, and some things work better as films.
Sundberg talked about the necessity for a ”meaty budget” for the film to capture the over-the-top explosions and feel of the gameplay. We have seen all too often recently what happens when film studios skimp out on budgets or overwork VFX artists when creating epic entertainment.
There is certainly a fine balance that will need to be struck to make a Just Cause film work, but it is not entirely impossible.
But what do you think? Are you excited at the prospect of another video game adaptation, and is Just Cause the right fit for the big screen? Let us know in the comments!
