Actress Isabela Merced (The Last of Us) has been cast in the lead role in a new feature film adaptation of Sega's cult horror shooter The House of the Dead.
The film will be directed and written by Paul W. S. Anderson, who previously directed the Resident Evil film series. He will also produce alongside his longtime partner Jeremy Bolt. Toru Nakahara (Sega) and Dmitri M. Johnson (Story Kitchen) are also involved in the production. Merced herself is involved not only as an actress, but also as an executive producer.
For Merced, this is a continuation of a series of major video game adaptations in her career — and again in the zombie theme. According to Deadline, the film is seen as a starting point for a new franchise, and Sega considers the project a priority after the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series.
The original The House of the Dead was released in 1997 and became one of the most influential arcade games of its time. The project offered a more dynamic take on zombie horror, being the first to show the undead capable of moving quickly. This idea later migrated to cinema — in particular, to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's 28 Days Later, significantly changing the perception of zombies in mass culture.
As a reminder, a film adaptation of The House of the Dead directed by Uwe Boll was released in 2003. The film flopped at the box office, grossing $13.8 million on a budget of $12 million, and received a rating of 2.1 out of 10 on IMDb. According to Deadline, this time the project is being approached much more seriously.
The release date for the new "House of the Dead" has not yet been revealed.