After getting a welcome break from robots for what was his most impressive film yet, Pain & Gain, Michael Bay got sucked back into the Transformers franchise with a fourth entry, which is currently in pre-production. Following that project, however, he’ll have time to tackle something else and today our first hint at what that may be has arrived.
According to Variety, he’s getting into the videogame adaptation world, signing on to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon over at Warner Bros. While he’s currently only in a development role, the trade reports that he is considering directorial duties on the project, which would follow a high tech-equipped, covert U.S. Army Special Forces unit on special missions around the world.
We first got word earlier this year that Ubisoft was developing their game into a feature film, so with Bay now attached, things are moving along fairly quickly. CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, Jean Julien Baronnet, says that the film is “very grounded,” and they specifically picked Bay, “because he is a master at action movies.”
Bay’s sensibilities could fit well with this franchise, but considering the secretive nature of our characters, only if he goes for a more stripped-down affair (i.e. less explosions). Screenwriters are currently being met with for scripting to begin this July, and if Bay likes the script, expect it to be on his slate. Meanwhile, Deadline is reporting Ubisoft has brought on Wrath of the Titans and The Expendables 2 producer Basil Iwanyk for their Splinter Cell adaptation, so expect news on that front momentarily, as a director will be attached soon.
Would you like to see Bay take on Ghost Recon? Are you a fan of the games?