Sony’s live-action adaptation ofHorizon Zero Dawnhas switched from a TV series to a movie, which is a much more fitting approach for this ambitious sci-fi franchise. Since PlayStation Productions was founded in 2019, it’s been hard at work turning all the biggest PlayStation video game franchises into films and TV shows. It’s found plenty of success with its adaptations ofThe Last of Us,Uncharted,Gran Turismo, andTwisted Metal, and it has plenty more projects in development: aHelldiversmovie,aGod of WarTV series for Amazon, and an anime calledGhost of Tsushima: Legendsfor Crunchyroll.
One of the most exciting adaptations coming out of PlayStation Productions is a live-action reimagining ofHorizon Zero Dawn.Horizon Zero Dawntakes place in a curious world where nature and machines have become intertwined. The player takes control ofa young hunter named Aloyas she traverses this world, fights the machines, and uncovers her past. Sony’s adaptation ofHorizon Zero Dawnwas initially being developed as a streaming series for Netflix, but the project has since been retooled as a movie for theatrical release — and that’s much better.
Columbia Pictures Is Taking Over The Horizon Adaptation
For a couple of years now, PlayStation Productions has been developingHorizon Zero Dawnas a streaming series for Netflix. But now,theHorizon Zero Dawnadaptation is being retooled as a movie. Columbia Pictures is co-producing the project for a theatrical release on an as-yet-unspecified date. Nothing else has been confirmed about the movie yet:no one has been cast as Aloy, no director has been attached to helm the project, and no screenwriters have been named to adapt the game into a screenplay. But even just this change of medium is promising.
Horizon Zero Dawngot a sequel,Horizon Forbidden West, in 2022.
WhenHorizon Zero Dawnwas released in 2017, it was an instant hit. It won a bunch of awards and became one of the bestselling PS4 games of all time. It beatNo Man’s Skyto become the biggest launch of a new I.P. on the PS4 and was the most successful launch on the PS4 since the blockbuster success ofUncharted 4: A Thief’s End. It’s no wonder that Sony is eager to turn a game this popular into a live-action franchise — anda movie is a much better way to go about it than a TV show.
A Horizon TV Show Would Have Been Very Difficult To Pull Off
A TV Budget Couldn’t Accommodate The Spectacle Of The Horizon Games
In theory, it makes sense to tackleHorizon Zero Dawnas a TV show. It’s an open-world game with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. A big part of the storytelling is the side quests that Aloy takes on. These side quests give the game a very episodic feel that would seem tailor-made for a TV show. Whereas the straightforward, linear narrative of a game franchise likeUnchartedmade it fit for a three-act feature film structure,bigger open-world games likeRed Dead Redemptionhave a lot more ground to cover that might not all fit into a movie.
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Butthe visual spectacle is what makes theHorizongames stand out. It takes place in a vast world with a totally unique aesthetic that would’ve been tough to pull off on TV. Aloy explores forests and mountains filled with robotic animals. This world has the potential to be as stunning as Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth, but that would be tricky on a TV budget.Netflix has very specific requirements for lightingthat give its original content a bland, bright look.It would’ve been a disservice to shoot the world ofHorizonin this washed-out stylefor the small screen.
Why A Horizon Zero Dawn Movie Is A Great Idea
It’s Already A Very Cinematic Experience
A movie adaptation is the best way to translateHorizon Zero Dawninto live-action, because it’s already such a cinematic experience. The action is spectacular, the story is mythic, the scope is epic, andthe world is deeply immersive. TheHorizonuniverse is essentiallyJurassic ParkmeetsTerminator; it has the exotic jungle locales and creature-feature thrills ofJurassic Park, with the deadly machines and anti-A.I. themes ofTerminator. It could look amazing on the big screen if it’s done right.
If they actually put in the time, care, and effort, then Horizon Zero Dawn could be every bit the dazzling cinematic spectacle that James Cameron’s Avatar movies are.
If the filmmakers rush the effects and phone it in, then it could end up looking likeAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. But if they actually put in the time, care, and effort, thenHorizon Zero Dawncould be every bit the dazzling cinematic spectacle that James Cameron’sAvatarmovies are. The small screen would’ve been too limiting;Horizon Zero Dawndeserves to be projected onto a gigantic screen in a movie theater.
