Once again, another video game franchise is set to have an adaptation made for the silver the screen. The lucky volunteer this time? One of Capcom’s most popular franchises, Mega Man.
The Mega Man franchise, while having a fiercely loyal fan base, has had a rough journey over the past five years. Recently though Capcom has been putting quite a bit of work into winning back the fanbase with the release of Mega Man Legacy Collection and even the creation of an official Mega Man helmet. The story of the original game from 1987, which was called Rockman in Japan, features Dr. Wily attempting to take over the world by taking control of the world’s robots via six Robot Masters that were created by his rival Dr. Light. Rock, a helper robot who could pick up any tool and instantly know how to use it, asks Dr. Light to transform him into a combat robot to stop Dr. Wily and save the world. Thus armed with a modified plasma torch, the ability to copy a defeated enemy’s weapon, and a strong sense of justice, the “Super Fighting Robot” Mega Man was born to fight for everlasting peace. So who do we have in charge of adapting this legendary franchise then?
The film is being developed by Chernin Entertainment which has handled the Planet of the Apes franchise in recent years and 20th Century Fox who have of course worked on the recent Fantastic Four movie as well as Hitman: Agent 47. While video game to film adaptations have always been hit and miss, the Mega Man franchise provides its own unique challenges. While the story contains many elements of the classic hero story, the franchise also has an extensive mythology that can be pulled from. In particular, seven different sub-series that each have very different tones and feels to them and of course each with their defenders and detractors.
So what about you? Are you happy that Mega Man is going to make the transition to the big screen or does this news make you “tremble with terror” as Sigma would say? Would like to see a straight adaptation of the first game, or something original that pulls elements from the various sub-series? Let us know in the comments below and as always be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and join in the conversation there.
