In the 1990s, Sega rose to prominence as the industry leader for video games. Sega, however, has now expanded into other fields, such as filmmaking, with the help of the immensely popular Sonic the Hedgehog series. After this recent breakthrough at Hollywood’s major studios, the developer has decided to adopt the famous beat ’em up computer game Comix Zone from the 1990s into a feature film. The Hollywood Reporter was the 1st to report the news, and Sega issued a statement confirming the rumours. As the player made their way through the game’s environment, they moved through the panels of a comic book, and the film is said to be a loose adaptation of the game.
Plot-wise, Comix Zone will “wittily explore the ever-evolving power of storytelling itself” through the story of “a jaded comic book creator and a young, queer writer of colour who, when sucked into the final issue of his popular series, must put aside their differences to stop a dangerous supervillain from sowing complete destruction.” Mae Catt, who won an Emmy for her writing on the animated series Young Justice for HBO Max, will be the show’s creator and writer. In addition, Catt is well-respected for penning the Hulu and Peacock series Dragons: The Nine Realms, a spinoff of the How to Train Your Dragon series.
There has been no word about the project’s director or when it would be released. One of two film adaptations confirmed by Sega to be in production is based on the franchise Comix Zone, and the corporation is also said to be exploring a number of additional projects. Space Channel 5, like Comix Zone, is revered by retrogamers as a masterpiece of the 1990s generation. This is the subject of the second announced film adaptation. The Space Channel 5 show will have strong ties to the game, telling the story of “a hapless fast-food worker who is recruited by a freedom reporter from the future to defend the globe from aliens using the one thing that unifies all people on the planet: our love of ridiculous viral dances.” Sega is directing both movies alongside independent studio Picturestart, which was created by Erik Feig.
Feig is a regular in the Hollywood scene, and his credits include Oscar wins like The Hurt Locker and La La Land, as well as young favourites like The Hunger Games and the Divergent trilogy. According to Variety, Feig’s filmography as a whole has earned over $12 billion throughout the world. Both projects are being launched at a pivotal time for Sega and the video game film industry as a whole, which has enjoyed unprecedented levels of success in recent years. The Sonic the Hedgehog video game series by Sega, voiced by Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz, stands out among Sega’s other noteworthy franchises. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the highest-grossing video game adaptation in U.S. history, having broken $400 million at the global box office since its debut to universal acclaim. The release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third instalment in the franchise, has been set for December 20, 2024.