‘Chronicle’ Director Josh Trank Knows What Works For Him, Set to Helm ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ Adaptation
While it was only a matter of time before Chronicle it-boy director Josh Trank signed on for yet another feature, the news of today’s project is a bit surprising, if only because he’s been so publicly attached to a host of other projects since his unexpected hit. Deadline Argo reports that Trank has signed on to “develop to direct” Sony’s adaptation of of their video game, Shadow of the Colossus. Trank is reportedly a big fan of the game, and he specifically “sought out the job.”
As my video game knowledge is slim (and will likely stay that way as the only video game I’ve ever cared about is Grand Theft Auto), a trip to the game’s Wikipedia page reveals a lot of vital information about it. Per the page, “the game’s storyline focuses on a young man named Wander who enters a forbidden land. Wander must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen massive beings, simply known as colossi,in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with which to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi.” The game has also garnered a lot of praise in the industry, and is considered “an important work of art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey.” There’s also a pony in it!
Despite my lack of familiarity with the source material, Shadow of the Colossus sounds like it’s quite well-suited for a cinematic adaptation, as it already has a number of traits that signal that it’s far more than driving fast and making things go ka-blooey.
Trank is also hard at work developing two other possible properties – that long-rumored Fantastic Four reboot and a fresh take on Spider-Man villain Venom. He’s also set to direct the WB adaptation of “The Red Star” comic book. The kid’s got a wheelhouse, that’s for sure.