Last summer, we reported that action iconDwayne Johnsonis reuniting with directorBrad Peytonand producerBeau Flynnfor a big screen adaptation of the video gameRampage. The 1980s video game didn’t have much of a story behind it, as players controlled one of three massive monsters, a lizard called Lizzy, a werewolf named Ralph and an ape who goes by George, as they destroyed several major cities around the globe. Today we have confirmation from directorBrad Peytonthat all three monsters will be featured in the movie, but it will be much scarier than you think.
We first reported on thisvideo game adaptationin June 2015, whenDwayne Johnsonteamed up withBeau Flynn, and just a few months later,Brad Peytoncame aboard.Rampagemarks the third project for this trio, followingJourney 2: The Mysterious IslandandSan Andreas. While doing press for his new horror-thrillerIncarnate, in theaters December 2,Brad Peytonshed some new light onRampage. Here’s what he had to say below, revealing that it’s still a monster movie.
“There’s the three, the lizard, the ape and the wolf, so we’re keeping it similar. WithRampage, we are using our love of the original game as our inspiration. It’s going to be a lot more emotional, a lot scarier and a lot more real than you’d expect. So you look at that original concept about a lab that affects these animals and makes them rampage, and that’s the nugget. If they called me tomorrow to doCall of Duty, I wouldn’t want to play any of the ‘Call of Duty’ games. I’d have to come up with something that deserves to be its own thing. That’s where a lot of these movies can go wrong… It’s amonster film, so the stuff that I did onIncarnate, stretching my muscles in the horror space helped. Obviously, it’s a much bigger movie and it’s meant for a broader audience, but there still horror elements, there’s still a monster movie at the core. And I get to work withDwayne Johnsonagain, I’m so excited about it.”
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. has issued an April 20, 2018release dateforRampage, which currently has that date all to itself, although it comes just a week after an untitled Universal monster reboot movie.Rampagewas originally supposed to start filming at the end of this year, afterDwayne Johnsonhad wrapped onFast & Furious 8. However, afterDwayne Johnsonsigned on to star inJumanji, which is currently in production, filming onRampagewas pushed into 2017. Warner Bros. hasn’t revealed when exactly principal photography will begin onRampagequite yet.
Brad Peytonwill directRampagefrom a script that was originally written byRyan Engle(Non-Stop), withCarlton Cuse(Lost,Colony) andRyan Condal(Hercules) coming aboard to rewrite the script. Whilevideo game adaptationshave never been box office blockbusters, that has quickly been changing.Warcraftbecame the highest-grossing video game adaptation with $433.5 million worldwide this year, although it floundered domestically, only making $47.2 million. There have only been two video game adaptations to crack $100 million domestic,Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider($131.2 million) andThe Angry Birds Movie($107.5 million). It remains to be seen ifRampagecan become a true box office hit, in both the foreign and domestic markets.
