Variety has confirmed that a film adaptation of Lost Planet is indeed in the works via Warner Bros. The script will be penned by X-Men and Watchmen scribe David Hayter, also known as the voice of Solid Snake. WB and Capcom are co-financing the film, with Warner Bros. having worldwide distribution rights.

No details on the plot, but we've submitted our proposal for the film, which would feature LP main character Wayne Holden sneaking through a secret military compound on a remote island. It would be, dare we say, awesome?

Don't misinterpret that headline -- David Hayter, who has voiced the role of Solid Snake since ... well, since Solid Snake could speak, doesn't need you to submit your fan fiction to help piece together the plot of the supposedly upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie (though we're sure he would find your homemade Otacon/Sniper Wolf erotic literature wildly fascinating).

According to a recent IMDB post from Hayter himself, he needs fans of his work and of Kojima's epic series to email a certain Sony Pictures rep and politely suggest that Hayter be the one to pen the film's script. He's got the credentials to do so, having written screenplays for the first two X-Men movies and the upcoming adaptation of Alan Moore's Watchmen. We can also assume that he's played the game he would be adapting, giving him a significant edge over most screenwriters of ludologically-inspired films.

This past Tuesday marked Capcom's 25th anniversary -- my how the time flies. However, instead of celebrating by taking body shots off of Kristin Kreuk, the company commemorated the milestone by attaching dates to upcoming film versions of two of its existing franchises.

According to a post on Capcom's US blog, the adaptation of popular action-adventure series Onimusha is expected make its theatrical debut in 2011, with Silent Hill's Christophe Gans still attached to direct. Capcom also anticipates Clock Tower to take a giant pair of scissors to the big screen as early as next year, this one being helmed by The Hills Have Eyes II's Martin Weisz. Now join us won't you as we hold hands and blow out the candles on Capcom's birthday cake. And don't forget to make a wish for at least one of these to not be box office poison.

A biopic about Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell has been picked up by Paramount Pictures, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star, reports Variety. Although we feel "attached to star" is indicative of DiCaprio taking on the role of Bushnell himself, we guess it's equally likely he could star as Atari co-founder Ted Dabney or a paddle from Pong!

Bushnell is also known for founding Chuck E. Cheese. The film, currently titled Atari, will be produced by DiCaprio's Appian Way.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

The Castlevania film adaptation is stepping back into the limelight, and it's bringing a rather bizarre friend with him. Crystal Sky Pictures has signed a "$200 million theatrical slate financing deal" with Grosvenor Park to produce five films, according to Variety, with two of those being Castlevania and -- no, really! -- Pac-Man.

Originally penned by Paul W.S. "I didn't make Boogie Nights" Anderson (Resident Evil), Castlevania was put on hold during the writer's strike. The adaptation is still being co-produced by Rogue Pictures. Crystal Sky Pictures is also producing the Tekken film with Sony's Screen Gems.

If anyone's curious, here's our pitch for Pac-Man: The Film:

It's the year 2185. Human life has been all but eradicated, and sole survivors scramble to collect resources in a labyrinthine cave of unknown secrets. Using their spherical harvesting pods, each team takes a turn gathering. But something goes horribly wrong as one expedition team gets trapped and is forced to finish its mission while running away from haunting memories of the past...

"Hip hop infused action adventure" news now, with Namco Bandai announcing a Fall 2008 release window for Afro Samurai, a video game adaptation of the popular animated series starring Mr. Samuel L. Jackson. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game follows the acrobatic Afro as he seeks revenge for the murder of his father and "fights to become the number one warrior." The game will stick to the storyline established in the series, while adding material and background that's sure to be appreciated by fans.

Of course, Samuel L. Jackson returns to provide dialogue, as well as the myriad of grunts sure to emanate as he kills enemies who are "affected by the beat of the musical score produced by RZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame." Lucky them.

Gears of War film producer Wyck Godfrey has told Coming Soon that the production company is shooting for a Summer 2010 release of the video game adaptation. Said Godfrey: "We've got our script on and a director we're about to attach. We'll hopefully make that early next year for the summer of 2010."

The script was written by Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean), who recently said in an interview that the production will likely be heavy on green screen usage, à la 300. The Gears of War film will be released by New Line Cinema, with CliffyB as executive producer. You should probably get in line now, you've only got 24 to 27 months before this Romantic Comedy of 2010 marches into theaters.

A new collaboration between renowned author Orson Scott Card and Undertow developer, Chair Entertainment, will see the popular sci-fi novel Ender's Game adapted into a series of video games "across all next-generation consoles, handheld platforms, and PC." The first offering is expected to begin development later this year and will be released in downloadable format.

As the story of Ender's Game revolves around the protagonist's experiences within the "Battle Room" -- home to a simulation of futuristic combat -- it should come as no surprise to learn that Chair Entertainment's goal is to place players into the very same virtual environment. Turning Ender's fictional game into a "real" one certainly makes sly sense within the context of the book, though we would be slightly concerned if the people on our Xbox Live friends should start turning up dead.

In a recently published interview, N'Gai Croal managed to catch-up with the Mustard brothers, Donald and Geremy, founders of Chair Entertainment. They described the Unreal-engine game with great relish, noting that the "the unique characteristics of the Battle Room will make a very compelling, competitive game play experience." Let's hope it can make up for the bad taste left in our mouths by one of their previous Card collaborations, Advent Rising.

[Image: "Ender's Game(s)" by Penny Arcade]

If you're curious to know how Prince of Persia became a film, series creator and movie screenwriter Jordan Mechner spoke with GameDaily to talk about how he went about pitching the idea to Disney, who told him he needed a producer like Jerry Bruckheimer, and then how he took that to mean "pitch to Jerry Bruckheimer" and subsequently won him over. Mechner described writing the screenplay as a 21-month process (three months for first draft, 18 months of revisions), "not counting the 15 years of preparation before that," he said.

Said Mechner about changes from the game's plot, "If I'd tried to adapt the game's storyline beat for beat into a screenplay, we would have wound up with a 'B'-level survival-horror movie about a warrior prince who spends most of his time fighting off ravaging, zombie-like sand creatures -- basically, Resident Evil in the desert." Did he just call the Resident Evil films B-level? Oh snap!

A trailer for the film adaptation of Hitman will be shown in the previews preceding Live Free or Die Hard, opening this Wednesday, according to reputable film site ComingSoon.net. The movie, starring Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47, began filming on March 27.

No official confirmation has been made from distributor Twentieth Century Fox, but the action-packed Bruce Willis vehicle would be a perfect fit for the trailer and is also distributed by Fox. If true, look for the teaser to find its way on the internet likely by Wednesday afternoon.

Recently spared from a straight-to-DVD release, the Dead or Alive movie limped into theaters this weekend without anyone much noticing or caring. The film earned $232,200 from 505 screens, finishing the weekend behind months-old thriller Disturbia and art house favorite La Vie en Rose. It's a sad day for our country when audiences would rather watch a subtitled French love story than see girls in bikinis kicking each other.

Given the reviews, it's not that surprising that audiences stayed away in droves. Rotten Tomatoes' rating page, which gives the movie a score of 46 percent, is punctuated with quotes like "unquestionably brain dead" and "a genuinely terrible film." And those are from some of the good reviews.

[Thanks Anthony]

There will be a Silent Hill 2 movie, according to director Christopher Gans. In an interview with French-language site DVDrama, Gans hopes that the Roger Avery-penned sequel will retain the visual aesthetic of the first film should he be too busy adapting an Onimusha film to take the director's chair. In his hypotehtical absence, Gans would like a European director to take his stead so as to avoid making the film "too Hollywood" (loose translation).

Of course, some continuity issues run amok if the films follow the same timeline as the games, most notably the inclusion of Pyramid Head; we'll spare you the spoilers and let you read the film's Wiki page if you are curious. The original Silent Hill film, after initial dismay, eventually grew on me as a mediocre horror flick that proved itself better than a multitude of other game adaptations. Gans hopes that sequel will correct the mistakes of the first movie; let's hope it does so we can finally have a decent game-film to hold up as a pillar by which to compare the rest.

[Via Digital Battle]

Both Universal and Fox Studios have pulled out of the Halo movie adaptation, citing rising movie costs and concern over the inexperience of first time director Neil Blomkamp. As the budget was rumored to be edging closer to $200 million, and Microsoft getting a lion's share of the profits, the studio execs decided it was time to pull the plug.

It's hard to argue with the logic on this one, based on the director alone. While Peter Jackson is executive producing, Neil Blomkamp doesn't have one feature film to his name, having only been a 3D animator on TV shows like Smallville and Stargate, and directed a Halo-ish short film entitled Alive in Joburg. If Jackson himself took the reins, it would probably be a no brainer, but you can easily understand Universal and Fox not wanting to roll a pair of $200 million dollar dice on someone their first time out of the gate.

Microsoft hasn't made things much easier, demanding an upfront fee of five million for the rights and 10% of the profits -- especially when movies based on video games have never been huge performers at the box office. This isn't to say the movie still couldn't get made. Jackson is still attached and pre-production continues on the film, although without a studio home it now faces a serious uphill battle.

According to Jackson's agent at International Creative Management, Ken Kamins, "What happened was this: Universal, on behalf of both studios, asked for a meeting with the filmmakers just prior to the due date of a significant payment. Basically, they said that in order to move forward with the film, the filmmakers had to significantly reduce their deals. They waited until the last minute to have this conversation. Peter and Fran, after speaking with their producing partners and with Microsoft and Bungee (the studio that designed the original game), respectfully declined."

Come on Variety, you can't even spell Bungie right?

What do you think? Should Master Chief drive his warthog out of Hollywood, or come back with both barrels blasting?


More Halo movie news on Joystiq:
So, you want to make a Halo movie?
Script for Halo movie leaked and reviewed?
Jackson talks about Halo film

EGM's April 2006 issue sports a short entry under its monthly Rumor Mill section telling readers to expect a Lost video game this fall for unspecified consoles.

The Q also claims that the playable adaptation will "even feature an online multiplayer mode called something like 'Passengers versus The Others.'" Predicting possible genres is sketchy at this point, but one could imagine modes such as Capture the Hatch, Pregnant Woman Rescue, and Team Freak-out popping up like a season or two's stranded passenger hallucinations. (Then again, maybe not...)