Actually there’s no anything new about futuristic blood sport theme in sci-fi genre, previously it has been applied in such films as “Rollerball†(1975) and its remake (2002), Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “The Running Man†(1987, based on a Stephen King story), also the recent “Death Race†remake which original made in 1975 too. So, would there something extraordinary with “Gamer,†an upcoming sci-fi action thriller film written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor? The duo previously known as the masterminds behind Jason Statham’s crazy action “Crank†and its sequel “Crank: High Voltage.†By walking into a movie that will undoubtedly be billed as “from the creators of Crank,†viewers will know what to expect. Neveldine and Taylor wrote and directed this film, just as they did for “Crank,†perhaps with higher budget, better production design, and more advance special effect. Starring in their film now, instead of the British action superstar Statham, the “Crank†duo succeed to attach another action star from “300†fame, Gerard Butler, as their primary cast in this “Gamer†project. Joining Butler is a list of cast with recognizable names: Michael C. Hall from the famous TV show “Dexter,†Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Amber Valetta (Transporter 2), John Leguizamo (Summer of Sam, The Happening), Ludacris (Max Payne), Alison Lohman (Drag Me to Hell), and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer). As Neveldine and Taylor describe their previous direction, the two “Crank†films, as “pure ADD candy,” the duo wanted to tackle a deeper story featuring bigger ideas and more complex characters. The filmmakers created three unique worlds within “Gamer,†each with its own filmic style and design. “The simulated reality game, ‘Slayers,’ is a massive, multiplayer battlefield; ‘Society’ is a tripped-out, fetishistic social-networking community, and then the real world exists outside the games,” explains Neveldine. “Each one has its own look and feeling, its own set of visual rules – from color to camera movement to effects to set design.” And that’s sound interesting though, albeit not based on a video game per se but entrenched in that realm, let’s hope this turns out better than most video game-to-film adaptations.
“Gamer†is a high-concept action thriller set in a near future when gaming and entertainment have evolved into a terrifying new hybrid. Humans control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online games: people play people…for keeps. Mind-control technology is widespread, and at the heart of the controversial games called “Slayers” is its creator, reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall). His latest brainchild, the first-person shooter game “Slayers,” allows millions to act out their most savage fantasies online in front of a global audience, using real prisoners as avatars with whom they fight to the death.
Kable (Butler), a death row inmate, has unwittingly become a superstar and cult hero of the ultraviolent game. Kable is controlled by Simon, a young gamer with rock star status who continues to defy all odds by guiding Kable to victory each week. Taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight against his will, the modern day gladiator must survive long enough to escape the game to free his family, regain his identity and to save mankind from Castle’s ruthless technology.
Find out who’s playing you:
# Production took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a 53-day shoot. Filming was at the Albuquerque Studios and on location around Albuquerque. Multistory sets were built on parking lots in downtown Albuquerque to depict buildings that were blown up in the film, and other sets were built on the backlots near the studios.
# ‘Due to Game’s filming in Albuquerque traffic had to be rerouted in the downtown area on the weekends over a two month period
# Using the Red One digital camera makes “Gamer†one of the first films to use this technology. The Red One camera is a digital system that incorporates compact flash cards instead of digital tape.
# This movie has undergone more title changes, it was previously known as “Game,†“The Game†and “Citizen Game.â€
# This is the 3rd film that Lionsgate and Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have worked together on.
# After watching his physical, emotionally rich performance in Zack Snyder’s 300, Neveldine and Taylor knew Gerard Butler was the only actor to play Kable.
# Apart from the originality of the story, Butler was also attracted to join the project because the cutting-edge approach of the filmmaker’s style.
Opening prediction: $ 15 million
Domestic gross prediction: 45 million
Theatrical release dates:
Sept 04, 09: Finland, Norway, UK, USA
Sept 09-11: Belgium, Russia, Denmark
Sept 17: Czech Rep, Germany
Sept 25: Italy