With the Bioshock movie being put on "hold" due to financial reasons, word was starting to get around that the upcoming Gears of War movie could be next in line for Hollywood purgatory -- not so says the film's screenwriter Chris Morgan.
Speaking with MTV, Morgan, who's most well known for his work on Wanted and the Fast and the Furious films confirmed that the first draft of the screenplay has been handed in and New Line is currently working on hammering out a budget.
"I think the gamer side is going to be thrilled with it," Morgan says. "All the stuff you want to see, we put that in there and then we blow it out a little more even. Now it's just a matter of honing in on all of the character arcs and determining production types of things." Morgan went on to add that the movie will be "huge" and that his production team is currently trying to convince New Line that "The fact that the world is being taken over by Locusts -- it has to be huge."
So what of Marcus Fenix -- the game's gruff protagonist? Morgan has an idea for that too? "Normally when I write, I think about the actor I'm writing for, but this one's been difficult," Morgan said. "It's a vital casting choice. It's counter-intuitive really, because it seems like you want to get a big character -- a big tough guy who can play it all stoic the whole time -- but in my experience, dealing with macho sorts of movies, it's harder to play the tough guy than an emotional character who's all over the place."
So who does Morgan want to play the leader of Delta squad?
"The rock is awesome," he said. "There's a genuine actor. Not only can he play the tough guy, but he can also play the nuanced, sensitive, funny-sad moments as well. But finding that guy is difficult."
Since the film adaptation's announcement, everyone from Clive Owen to pro wrestler Batista have been rumored to be favorites for the film's lead role.
