The video game movie fever shows no signs of slowing down, and Sega’s little-known fighting game series Eternal Champions is the latest to get its own live-action film.
Originally released in 1993, Eternal Champions was Sega’s response to the popularity of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. The game was heavily marketed for its graphics and enjoyed forceful sales, even spawning a sequel on the Sega CD, but was ultimately scrapped as Sega allegedly wanted to focus on promoting Virtual Fighter in the U.S.
Eternal Champions has since fallen into obscurity as the publisher (and the world) have largely moved on. Now, however, it has its own movie.
According to THRJurassic World screenwriter Derek Connolly is set to write a live-action version of Eternal Champions for Skydance. Toru Nakahara, who oversees the Sonic films, will serve as one of the film’s producers. Little is known about the plot, but it will likely follow the game’s arc, with the godlike Eternal Champion attempting to restore balance to the world through a martial arts tournament featuring characters drawn from throughout history.
Among the many characters are Dawson, a sheriff from the American Old West, a pirate named Riptide, and a Vietnamese chicken named Crispy. It will likely try to capture some of the appeal of the Mortal Kombat films, which draw from a similar period in gaming history and remain nostalgic favorites.
In addition to Eternal Champions, other games that have gotten their own movies include The Legend of Zelda, Death Stranding, and Until Dawn. Releases like Sega’s own Sonic movies have been a financial boon for Hollywood, but the trend isn’t without its risks. Borderlands, which came out last week, was panned by critics and flopped at the box office.
We’ll see how Eternal Champions fares when it finally hits theaters. There’s no release date yet.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and also co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? DM her @the_katbot.
