Universal wins rights to adapt film from unreleased game

The video game hasn’t even been announced yet, but several Hollywood studios have already burned through a bidding war for rights to make a movie from a new EA project with the working title Dante’s Inferno. Universal Pictures snapped up rights, beating out major bids from Paramount, MGM and others.

What fueled the frantic buy is not clear, especially since the game doesn't even have a release date. As Variety noted in its summary of the purchase, EA had previously sold film rights to its games after they already had a place the gaming lexicon, as with The Sims. The developer wouldn’t comment or even confirm the new game’s title, but the rumor is that EA wants to become more involved in the adaptation process, a possible echo of Marvel’s newfound independence with movies like Iron Man.

According to /Film, the game (and, presumably, film) will be a modernized take on the classic allegorical story of Dante and the nine circles of hell. Why that rather loose concept would be difficult for Universal to develop on its own is not clear, though brand recognition from the game when the movie finally arrives won’t hurt.

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