From Game To Screen

Historically speaking, video game films belong on Hollywood's F-list. Time and again we're fooled into thinking that our beloved game franchises will sparkle on the silver screen, only to watch second-rate studios and terrible scripts deliver straight-to-DVD performances. Yes, Uwe Boll, we're looking at you.

But perhaps the tide is turning. The recent box office success of Max Payne proves that Hollywood is still paying attention -- it's time we did, too. Here's a rundown of some of the biggest game-to-film adaptations currently in the works.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Hollywood has long had a love affair with sweeping desert epics, so it comes as little surprise that Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films would flip over the cinematic possibilities of Ubisoft's action series. The upcoming film is based on the older Sands of Time trilogy and brings with it some serious chops, featuring the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley. Directed by Mike Newell (Four Wedding and a Funeral, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), it's scheduled for release in May of 2010.

Pitch it: Lawrence of Arabia meets The Mummy.
Ditch it: Ishtar was also filmed in the desert.

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Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Not to be confused with the Sonny Chiba martial arts classic or the critically-panned 1994 action mess starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, the all-new Street Fighter movie centers around femme fatale Chun Li. The story is still under wraps, though we suspect it has something to do with a secret tournament, a gaggle of worldly brawlers and a nefarious scheme or two. Starring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) in the title role and directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Doom, Cradle 2 the Grave), it's scheduled for release in late February of 2009.

Pitch it: Bloodsport meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with fireballs!
Ditch it: Did you see the first Street Fighter movie? Ugh.

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World of Warcraft

Eleven million worldwide subscribers make Blizzard's behemoth a can't-miss property. That bodes well for Legendary Pictures, who secured the rights to a Warcraft film back in 2006. Set one year prior to the events depicted in the popular MMO, the film will focus on an Alliance hero (sorry, followers of Thrall - it's not easy being green in Hollywood.) While they've yet to announce a director, cast or, well, much of anything, they've proposed a roomy $100 million budget and are approaching it as an epic war film. But until we get a release date, the hordes will just have to wait.

Pitch it: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers meets The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, but with fewer hobbits and more orcs.
Ditch it: The Warcraft mythology is actually pretty rich. Too bad it will probably be boiled down into a couple hours worth of green screen fight scenes and cheesy inspirational speeches.

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Halo

Shortly after Halo 3 obliterated sales records, film execs began blaming it for sluggish numbers at the box office -- and apparently, they want revenge. Once thought to be in the hands of fantasy guru Peter Jackson, the Halo film is currently up in the air. After Jackson bailed out, the film adaptation of Microsoft's money machine entered cinematic limbo. However, recent news about Microsoft accepting a script from Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) has breathed new life into this surefire blockbuster.

Pitch it: Independence Day meets Rambo.
Ditch it: Halo's story isn't its strong suit, and without Jackson at the helm, it could turn into an overwrought Starship Troopers in the blink of an all-seeing eye.

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BioShock

One of the best games for the Xbox 360 recently made its way to the PS3 with similarly stellar results, so to say there's a legion of fans thrilled about a BioShock film is putting it lightly. Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) is on tap to direct and produce the feature, though no release date has been issued yet and plot details are nonexistent. Here's hoping it's half as good as the game.

Pitch it: The Abyss meets Citizen Kane
Ditch it: Nailing the tension of a survival-horror game isn't so easy. Just ask Silent Hill.