Breakout Hunger Games Star Tom Blyth to Lead Major New Video Game Adaptation
It has been reported that Tom Blyth, the breakout star from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, will play the lead role in the upcoming Watch Dogs movie, which is based on the Ubisoft video game series. When Blyth, playing a younger Coriolanus Snow, joined the cast of Songbirds & Snakes in 2023, his career took off. His portrayal not only established the young actor as a gifted star but also made it possible for the film to delve into the past of the President of Panem.
According to recent reports from Deadline, Blyth will play the lead role in the upcoming film adaptation of the Watch Dogs video game series from Ubisoft. He will appear in the New Regency production alongside his previously confirmed co-lead, Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me). The movie, directed by French filmmaker Mathieu Turi, is expected to explore the video game’s world of hackers and advanced technology to fight back against tyrannical regimes.
OVERVIEW
It has been reported that Tom Blyth, the breakout performer from the Hunger Games prequel, would co-lead a Watch Dogs movie.
Blyth will star with Sophie Wilde in Watch Dogs, the big-screen adaptation of the Ubisoft video game series.
Though their roles have not been confirmed, Blyth may be portraying Aiden Pearce and Wilde may be playing Clara Lille because of the previous game’s plot.
What To Expect from The Watch Dogs Movie
Potential Story Details & More
Written by Christie LeBlanc with input from Victoria Bata, the upcoming Watch Dogs movie will feature characters who embrace the hacker lifestyle to fight against villains who have wronged them. In the first game, the story follows Aiden Pearce, a man seeking revenge after a hit gone wrong results in the death of his six-year-old niece. Other games in the series tie into themes of revenge or justice, with the latest installment, Watch Dogs: Legion, featuring an oppressive technocracy in London. Since this will be the first movie adaptation of the franchise, it is possible Blyth will be portraying Aiden, as it would make sense for the movie to adapt the story from the first game.
This means Wilde could be playing Clara Lille, a hacker trying to expose the tech company Blume for corruption. Since the duo work together during the first game, it would make sense to adapt this into the movie. Given the talent of the film’s lead actors, they would be perfect to bring the inaugural characters of the video game franchise to the big screen. Given the casting announcement, it appears Watch Dogs will be another 2020s video game adaptation with plenty of talent behind bringing its source material to life.
While there have been some video game adaptations this decade like Uncharted and Monster Hunter that have not fared well critically, the grounded setting of Ubisoft’s action-adventure game should make it easier to translate onto the big screen. Blyth and Wilde’s talent is sure to make the experience shine too, with more about their roles likely revealed closer to production.
The Watch Dogs trilogy is available on PC and consoles, as well as through Ubisoft+.
Who Is in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Cast & Character Guide
A new cast of characters will be introduced to the Hunger Games franchise with the release of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which is being promoted as a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. The Hunger Games film series, which debuted in 2009, follows Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen as she faced off against other young adults in a bloody, gladiatorial-style conflict. At the conclusion of the series, Katniss leads a revolution against the Capitol, putting an end to the menace the Games posed to the nation.
Coriolanus Snow, the president of Panem and the overseer of the Games, is the main antagonist of the Hunger Games trilogy. Donald Sutherland portrays him in the motion pictures. Francis Lawrence is the director of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which rewrites the narrative to make Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow the main character. The early years of Coryo are portrayed, demonstrating his transformation from a nice young guy with big eyes to the cruel dictator he became in the trilogy. The characters in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes are portrayed by a gifted group of well-known and well-liked performers, just like in the first three films.
Watch Dogs Movie: Confirmation, Cast Everything We Know About the Video Game Adaptation
The news of a film adaptation of the well-liked open-world series Watch Dogs adds another more dimension to the world of video game movies. Watch Dogs, which debuted in 2014, is a game about a mystery vigilante hacker who utilizes technology to take down competing hackers and wicked businesses. The game takes place in several dystopian American towns throughout multiple time periods. Renowned for its distinctive sandbox gameplay and refreshing take on cyberpunk themes, Watch Dogs has grown into a multiplatform franchise that now includes comics and books.
Though for a long time the Hollywood machine produced dreadful video game movies, more recent gaming adaptations have defied the norm and produced high-caliber entertainment that genuinely appreciates the appeal of the gaming medium. The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s, two video game movies that came out in the 2020s, were successful where others failed because they appealed more to the interests of game enthusiasts than to a public. Given how open-ended the series is, there is a good chance the Watch Dogs adaption will carry on this tradition and make a big-budget film.
All 10 Video Game Movies Released in the 2020s, Ranked Worst to Best
The greatest video game adaptions coming out in the 2020s are demonstrating year after year that video game movies are finally something to look forward to. Hollywood’s attempts to adapt video games were fruitless for a very long time. It was not until 2019 that a video game movie managed to receive a 60% review score from critics and stay clear of a “rotten” rating, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Since then, a few other well-reviewed video game-based films have received even higher reviews.
Nonetheless, since the catastrophic live-action Super Mario Bros. in 1993, there have been video game adaptations. Since then, there have been more than fifty video game-based movies, and the genre seems to be finally finding its footing as more well-known releases like Werewolves Within, Gran Turismo, and Sonic the Hedgehog have all gotten significantly better reviews from critics. As a result, as studios start devoting more time and resources to the genre, there are currently hundreds of announced projects that are based on video game projects. Hopefully, for the benefit of the fans, a few of them will be on par with the 2020s video game films that have already been released.
OVERVIEW
In the 2020s, video game movies have become much better, and there are increasingly well-reviewed adaptations.
Gran Turismo and Sonic the Hedgehog are two contemporary video game adaptations that have been effective in preserving the spirit of the original game.
Even with the popularity, video game adaptations still face difficulties, like casting appropriately and striking a balance between imaginative storytelling and faithful representation.
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021)
Based on the ’90s Capcom games Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil was converted into six films before to this remake, which is unfortunate because Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City includes more faithful features that are ill-suited for the big screen while removing much of what made the previous films enjoyable. In this adaptation of the first and second games, which depict the epidemic that gives rise to a swarm of ferocious zombies, the casting seems strange. Assuming that viewers are familiar with the games, the story and writing are poorly written. This endeavor is also more likely to bore its audience than to frighten them due to its strange aesthetic choices.
Monster Hunter (2020)
Based on the 2004 Capcom video game of the same name
When Monster Hunter was finally published in late 2020, it regrettably continued the trend of video game movies from the previous decade being of lower quality. Because it was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie suffered. It was a complete box office flop, not even being able to recoup its relatively small $60 million budget for a picture with such a heavy reliance on computer graphics. Despite a star-studded ensemble that includes Milla Jovovich and an intriguing concept that already has a devoted fanbase because of the games, the film is ultimately let down by the direction, editing, and lack of a cogent or meaningful story.
Uncharted (2022)
Based on the Sony and Naughty Dog video game franchise of the same name
The choice of Mark Wahlberg as Victor “Sully” Sullivan and Tom Holland as Nathan Drake caused disappointment among video game aficionados, so Uncharted faced an uphill struggle even before it opened in theaters. Fans thought that because the actors play a lot younger couple than the ones who first featured in the games, the adaptation would not be accurate enough. Nevertheless, the ensemble succeeded in drawing a crowd, and the movie grossed over $400 million at the box office, becoming among the highest-grossing video game adaptations ever.
The movie is flawed in a lot of ways, even with its box office success. Apart from some great action moments and a passable performance by Holland, the lack of stakes makes the film uninteresting. While there are a few entertaining scenes, the movie feels disjointed and like a shoddy replica of the original work. Even though the Uncharted movie falls short on its own, Sony might decide to approve a sequel because of the movie’s financial success.
