Shadow of the Colossus falling on Hollywood

The old showbiz saying goes, "You're only as good as your last job." And though that axiom may hold true for much of Hollywood, it doesn't seem to apply to game-based movie projects. Case in point: Andrzej Bartkowiak, the director of the big-screen version of Doom. When that project bombed, he was promptly given the job of helming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

Now, despite The Legend of Chun-Li adaptation's spectacular flame-out at box offices and with reviewers, its screenwriter has been handed another beloved, award-winning game license. According to both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Marks has been asked to write the script for a big-screen version of Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus. Currently, the scribe is working on a remake of 20,000 Leagues: Under the Sea for director McG (Terminator: Salvation, Charlie's Angels).

According to the trades, the big-screen Shadow of the Colossus is in the early stages of development at Sony Pictures Entertainment, sibling to the game's publisher, Sony Computer Entertainment. It will be produced by Kevin Misher, who worked on The Interpreter and this summer's Michael Mann-directed, Johnny Depp-starring gangster epic Public Enemies. He is also attached to a new adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune, to be directed by Peter Berg (Hancock).

Hailed by reviewers on its release in 2005, the PlayStation 2-exclusive Shadow of the Colossus sold more than 900,000 copies in the US. Developed by Team Ico, which is working on its PlayStation 3 debut, the game follows a young warrior who has brought his fallen love to a faraway temple in the hopes of restoring her to health. According to a mysterious presence that dwells within the temple's walls, the only way to save this girl is to hunt down and destroy the 16 massive beasts that roam the surrounding lands. To see how the quest goes, check out the video review below.