Hollywood is Obsessed with Game Adaptations - "The Batman 2" Screenwriter Talks About Industry Shift

Amidst the box office failures of recent comic book movies, producers are increasingly looking for new stories in the world of video games.

Hollywood is undergoing a massive tectonic shift in preferences: the era of video games is gradually replacing the long-standing dominance of comic books. This was stated by Mattson Tomlin, co-writer of the upcoming film "The Batman. Part II," on which he is working with director Matt Reeves.

While interacting with fans on social media, Tomlin touched upon the stalled Mega Man adaptation, noting that the project still has a chance to see the light of day, as Hollywood producers are now literally obsessed with gaming franchises. The screenwriter supported his words with personal statistics:

Tomlin's words are also confirmed by the market situation. Since the beginning of this year alone, "Return to Silent Hill," "Iron Lung," "Mortal Kombat 2," "Super Mario: Galactic Movie," and "Exit 8" have been released. Audiences can also look forward to a new Resident Evil film by Zach Cregger, a Street Fighter adaptation, the Sekiro: No Defeat anime, and the second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Dozens of adaptations of well-known gaming franchises are also in development — from Elden Ring to Death Stranding, which will receive both a feature film and an animated series. The scale of the new trend is also confirmed by major companies: Story Kitchen alone has acquired the rights to almost two dozen gaming franchises, and Xbox recently announced the development of more than ten adaptations of its own games.

As for "The Batman. Part II" itself, Matt Reeves' film is currently in production, and its world premiere is scheduled for October 1, 2027.