It may have been just a matter of time before Hollywood took notice of a video game like Sloclap’s latest hit, Sifu, but now we’re seeing the evolution of that potential surface this week in new reports detailing the development of a live-action adaptation now in the works.
The game centers on a martial arts master’s quest for vengeance, with the help of a magical talisman that revives him whenever he’s fatally injured, aging him faster as a result. Sloclap is partnering with Story Kitchen on the project with a script to be written by none other than one of industry’s hottest names in screenwriting today, Derek Kolstad, best credited for penning most of the John Wick film saga, including its upcoming Peacock spin-off, “The Continental.”
Kolstad, who is also credited with Ilya Naishuller’s Nobody which is expected to ramp up sequel production early next year if Marco Vido Oddo’s Collider exclusive on Friday is any hint, will join a team of producers listing Dmitri M. Johnson of Story Kitchen along with Mike Goldberg, Dan Jevons, Timothy I. Stevenson, and Jeff Ludwig.
The first iteration of Sifu in live-action form arrived back in February with a short film to promote the game’s release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC a few days later. That short film was directed by Christopher Clark Cowan, who has bolstered his career from making independent shorts and webseries to working on the sets of major film and television productions as an action designer and coordinator and camera operator.
That short premiered on IGN’s YouTube page and we did post about it back then, but I don’t really have any qualms about resharing it now. Why? Well, 1), obviously it’s relevant again, and 2), it is just THAT good, and with credits shared with studios like Lucasfilm and Marvel, this ought to be a reminder for any higher-ups out there to not overlook Cowan coming into the new year.
Check out the live-action promo short below, and a promo for the game’s Nintendo Switch release just beneath.
Read more at Deadline.