The video game adaptations keep on coming and the latest is reportedly based on a popular Ubisoft series.
Deadline reports that a movie based on Watch Dogs is in the works at New Regency. Not much is known about the adaptation but Talk To Me star Sophie Wilde is in talks to star in the film.
French filmmaker Mathieu Turi is on board to direct with an original screenplay written by Christie LeBlanc. Leblanc is best known for writing the screenplay for Netflix's Oxygen, a sci-fi thriller based on the 2016 Black List script O2.
Although specific story details for this movie are still unknown, we can assume the premise will stick closely to the games. There have been three Watch Dogs games released to date and while they feature different main characters with various goals to achieve, they all largely revolve around hacker protagonists caught up in the criminal underworlds, taking on corrupt companies, crime bosses, and rival hackers.
The games are typically set in fictionalized versions of real-life cities. And at the heart of these cities is the ctOS (central Operating System), a fictionalized computer network that connects every electronic device in the city together and stores the personal information of most citizens.
The core gameplay in each Watch Dogs game involves hacking into this system to gain an advantage over your enemies. Players can access the ctOS and use various devices to assist them in combat, stealth, or puzzles.
The first Watch Dogs game was released in 2014 and set in a fictionalized version of the Chicago area. The story follows hacker/vigilante Aiden Pearce's quest for revenge after the killing of his niece.
Watch Dogs 2 came out in 2016 and took us to a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay area. This game followed a hacker by the name of Marcus Holloway who worked with the underground hacking group DedSec to take down the city's advanced surveillance system.
The most recent game in the video game franchise is Watch Dogs: Legion, released in 2020. This game took us overseas to a futuristic, dystopian London. The story follows the hacker syndicate DedSec as they attempt to clear their names after being framed for a series of terrorist bombings. What makes this game especially unique is that you can play as anyone found in the city. Each character you come across can join your team, bringing a unique backstory, personality and skillset.
Ubisoft has had multiple video game franchises adapted into either movies or television, including 2016's Assassin's Creed, which starred Michael Fassbender. Last year, Netflix debuted Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, an original anime featuring alter egos of Ubisoft characters in a highly referenced homage to the early 90s. There's also a live-action Assassin's Creed series in development for Netflix as well as a film adaptation of Tom Clancy's The Division.