Games Ripe for Adaptation in TV and Film Ep 1: Hades, Metroid and Metro 2033

In this ongoing content series we take a look at games and gaming IP that could make the TV or silver screen cut... they just need to be done right!

As the superhero and comic book adaptation train starts to run out of steam, studios are beginning to look toward gaming and gaming IP for new ways to engage audiences both young and old, plus the rest of us. Naturally there’s a huge difference when adapting games versus comic books, given the interactive nature of gaming and what is commonly referred to as ‘player-agency’.

“How could this *entity* possibly be conveyed from an interactive controller to couch-controlled passive screen work?”, might be a common concern, for example.

How, indeed?

Fortunately for most studios, and we reckon a number of nervous games publishers, the recent Fallout TV series, alongside The Witcher, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and The Last of Us -- three of which are based on dramatic player-agency in how their respective gaming narratives shape in actual videogame form (The Last of Us less so) -- have proven the static can still work and not only capture a sense of the ‘unknown’, but also apply that in a strongly passive state, without losing much of what made these IPs favourites in the first place.

So with that said, we dug deep to have a look at eight old, current and future titles from within the interactive gaming landscape that could very well make waves as passive screen time for anyone looking to ‘stream and chill’ with their favourite IP, in couch-expanded form.

Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: July 08, 2024

1. Hades

This one is a tough one in the sense that the first game already had more dynamic dialogue than peeps initially thought, most of which came from certain decisions or triumphs from the player, and often in different order, too, based on certain player-decisions. So, could it exist in the form of a static experience for couch-sitters? Obviously Greek Mythology is ripe for just about anything, so sure. But it’s more about the presentation given Hades took said mythology and gave it a kind of ‘cool kid’ spin on itself.

"As well as its handful of denizens and aspects of each realm: Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium and the top of the Styx, can make for ever-expanding narratives..."

Zagreus’  forever attempts at escape, first to find his mum, Persephone, and then second to help (and hinder in equal measure) his old man, Hades, make Hell itself ultra-tight from an escapist perspective, is already a fairly complete (and complex at times) storyline. But the relationships within the “House of Hades” as well as its handful of denizens and aspects of each realm: Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium and the top of the Styx, can make for ever-expanding narratives. But like most Greek literature, it’d need to be layered.

So, What Could it be?

We envision an animated series alone. No live-action or even CG. Pure animation tapping into the game’s already brilliant art. To this end it also wouldn’t be anime or even anime-like. It would need a Western spin but again, heavily directed by the style Supergiant Games employed across both releases. Additionally, it would need all voice actors from the game on board to reprise roles and the score would need to be in line with both games, ala Zagreus himself, Darren Korb (who wrote all the music).

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Throughout Hades, Zagreus and his titular father talk about what the ruler of the Underworld and his Olympian brethren did to their Titan parents and a theme of usurping and young lions versus the old emerges. In Ancient Greek mythology, Hades' father, Cronus, swallowed him whole to prevent a prophecised end to himself at the hands of one of his sons (and poor Hades was picked out of the bunch). So dark as it is that Hades and the Olympians then went on to dismember their Titan parents and place their body parts all throughout Tartarus, we reckon being indiscriminantly swallowed whole can definitely cause someone to forge a grudge.

The Arc

Well, again we find ourselves at the feet of the Fates, or Moirai -- three sisters who determine the destinies of all of human and god-kind. There’s a lot to play with here, but maybe it might be better to just play with Hell versus Olympus and the precarious relationships of Persephone, her mother, Demeter, Hades and Zeus. But really, it’s an open slather, and like the God of War games, also open to twists and turns even the sisters of Fate couldn’t have predicted.

Popcorn or Chill?

Look, a movie would actually likely make more sense. A Greek Drama-inspired opus to fill in blanks from the modern games or a tonne of history. There’s a lot of unpacking that goes into the games about the awkward relationships the gods had with their parents, the Titans, and the conspiring and subterfuge and backstabbing that took place to commit the megacide that happened. And then the fallouts from that.

We’d watch the shit out of something along those lines.

Who Plays Who?

The full cast from the games is all we need. Then just a bunch of talented other voice actors for the Titans, preferably with booming voices and range!

2. Metroid

Hold on Ninty fan-kids. We here at 3rd-Phase Boss came up as editors of a Nintendo magazine, so we know just how sacred this is, and just how important it would be to get right. Metroid: Other M did a terrible job of expanding Samus’ universe, but also never forget that the director of the OG The Crow, and Aussie filmmaker superstar (currently quite vocal for… reasons), Alex Proyas, made the global ad for the original Metroid Prime which was actually kind of cool, for all of its 30 seconds.

"Even an older reach with the likes of Fusion or Super Metroid, there’s plenty of content that can be picked and pulled apart to craft a compelling narrative..."

What does any of the above mean? Well, visually and from a creepy sci-fi perspective, Metroid ticks A LOT of boxes. We also now know what NOT to do with the story and, in particular, its main character -- Samus Aran.

And there’s plenty of other stories to cherry pick from, whether it’s the brilliant Prime series, the recent Switch sensation in Dread or even an older reach with the likes of Fusion or Super Metroid, there’s plenty of content that can be picked and pulled apart to craft a compelling narrative around the galaxy’s favourite bounty hunter.

So, What Could it be?

There’s definitely an element of her being a bounty hunter here with an ever-encroaching menace in the space pirates, with other hunters out there also (ala Prime 3) to build a multi-layered storyline with dovetail elements. It would also mean there’s a chance for a handful of storylines where Samus is strictly just doing her job -- something Netflix’s The Witcher consistently misses as a show, going, rather, for the epic storyline first and foremost over what makes him… him.

The Arc

Definitely her being raised by the Chozo. The genesis of her suit and her learning how that works. We need substance around the Galactic Federation that is absolutely the military opposite of what Prime 3 gave us and, naturally, we need a scientific sub-story that slowly unveils the scourge that is the titular flying virus.

Popcorn or Chill?

In this sense, an anime or X-Men ‘97-styled series would work best as budgets would likely be a massive blowout. Still, a live action series wouldn’t be unwelcome… just lots of dark corridors and effects that don't look fake would go a long way. Plus her suits and her morphball need to be front and centre above all else and in a live-action, could wind up looking kind of shitty via CG.

Who Plays Who?

We mean, surely Furiosa herself, Charlize Theron, would be ideal but if this was ever to happen (for this writer, at least), it might only be her voice lent to the character depending on Samus’ age. But there are plenty of other amazing and talented actors out there who could do it ranging from Margot Robbie and Scarlett Johansson to Anya Taylor Joy and beyond.

3. Metro 2033

The Metro IP would be pretty ideal as an entity in the non-interactive space, largely because that’s where it began -- a novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky which then blossomed into not only an incredible videogame series with a unique spin on the post-apocalyptic setting, but one with political and social elements often only skirted over in other media within those realms. It’s interesting, too, because the setting could be seen as somewhat overdone, but Metro is grounded in a kind of dark reality that sets it apart given it also has survival horror elements to it and taps into the supernatural and folklore of the region and its many cultures.

"A split timeline where we see the genesis of the catastrophe versus the early establishment of the various subway settlements and the rifts and splits between disparate groups based on social, political and cultural clashes would just make for some excellent writing..."

Metro also has many moving parts and as developer 4A Games took it into all-new places (with the blessing of Glukhovsky), it has become an expansive universe with dynamic rules, characters and overarching goals across many, many personal tales. It is dark, sure, but it’s also full of a *kind of* hopeful verve that constantly belies the situation all and sundry within said universe find themselves in.

So, What Could it be?

Dark on Netflix comes to mind as a kind of North Star to how we could envision this coming to the fore, particularly in tone. And provided most of the shooting took place within the Metro subway lines the book and games are mostly based on (excluding Metro Exodus which was largely outdoors), then set design and locations could be contained within a studio rather than having to scout and shoot all over Eastern Europe. Whether it would follow in the footsteps of the book or simply take the setting and offer up a new protagonist or protagonists would be the key differentiator given just how well the games already adapted Glukhovsky’s works.

The Arc

As mentioned above, the games have already covered so much ground, but maybe a prequel could be in play here helping establish just what happened. All of this is touched on in the aforementioned media, but expanding on it in passive moving image form could be fairly compelling. Even a split timeline where we see the genesis of the catastrophe versus the early establishment of the various subway settlements and the rifts and splits between disparate groups based on social, political and cultural clashes would just make for some excellent writing opportunities as well as deep character development.

Popcorn or Chill?

This one has to be in the episodic TV department. There’s simply too much story to tell and too many arcs and elements that would need to dovetail and coalesce in meaningful ways that a three-act movie just couldn’t do justice. And going back to that Dark series parallel, well, it’s kind of just a perfect way to see this coming to fruition.

Who Plays Who?

A tough one here given Metro is set in Russia with elements of Eastern Europe embedded within as well. Do we go down the Chernobyl TV series route and just ignore the setting and go with English actors, or Americans? There are a lot of different cultures represented in the IP, so do we have accents or could someone be bold enough to go with the purity of each country and culture represented and thus cast accordingly? We’d kind of hope for the latter. Subtitles can sometimes even amplify an experience, right?

/End (for now...)

Keep checking back as we drop new Episodes for this content series because as any gamer worth their salt knows, there's an absolute treasure trove of incredible stories, experiences, worlds and more in the interactive realm. And as we've mentioned throughout, fans of most games -- and we mean die-hard fans -- love the idea of their favourite IP being explored in other ways. As long as it's done right.

If you have thoughts or ideas on games we should include in this series, by all means Comment or hit us up on socials, or drop by our Discord and join the ongoing discussions with others.

About the author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment and sports under his belt. He is a proud pug owner, loves art in all forms, but particularly street and tattoo culture, and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial...
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