GAS POWERED GAMES’ “DUNGEON SIEGE” GOES HOLLYWOOD AS BOLL KG ACQUIRES FILM RIGHTS TO POPULAR VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE
$50 Million Budget to Back Hollywood's Newest Video-Game-to-Film
October 29, 2003 - Vierte Boll Kino Beteiligungs-GmbH & Co. KG (Boll KG) (www.boll-kg.de) and Gas Powered Games have joined forces to bring the popular action/fantasy video game “Dungeon Siege” to the silver screen. Boll KG, the production company responsible for several film adaptations of video games including “BloodRayne,” “Alone in the Dark” and “House of the Dead,” recently purchased the theatrical and merchandise rights for “Dungeon Siege.”
Executive producer and director Dr. Uwe Boll, expects to begin filming “Dungeon Siege” in late 2004, and estimates a budget in the $50 million range. Interactive Film Sales International will handle the foreign rights sales for the production (www.InteractiveFilmSales.com). Boll’s “House of the Dead,” released by Artisan Entertainment in North America, is presently screening in more than 1500 theatres.
"Dungeon Siege” transcends the video game genre and appeals to mainstream entertainment audiences," said Boll. "Based on the success of “House of the Dead,” I believe “Dungeon Siege” contains major crossover potential because of its unique blend of action and fantasy, on the order of “Lord of the Rings.”
Originally released in the United States on April 5, 2002, “Dungeon Siege” is an action/fantasy role-playing game (RPG) designed by Chris Taylor, president and creative director of Gas Powered Games. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Dungeon Siege” features a fantasy world where the inhabitants must battle evil forces attempting to take over their kingdom. According to Mark H. Walker of Sci-Fi.com, “this down-and-dirty medieval environment propels high-tech role-playing even higher.”
“This is a very exciting project for us”, said Taylor, “and we are very enthusiastic about exploring how film and games can come together.”