By Gavin Boyle
Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are partnering with Universal to bring Sega’s “Outrun” video game franchise to the big screen through a movie adaptation.
“We have other major IPs and, I cannot say too much about it but we are thinking of reviving other classical Sega IPs too,” Sega Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi told CNBC in 2023 after the success of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2. “But also, as I say, we are trying to be in a lot of different kinds of business areas, like Roblox, movies. All of these IPs can be somewhere other than games soon.”
Though not a household name like Sonic, the “Outrun” series has a fanbase that remains dedicated to the series even though the most recent entry was released back in 2014. The basic premise of the games has players racing through traffic to arrive at a destination before time runs out. Though offering a peek into the plot of the movie, little concrete details are known as production has been kept under wraps.
The “Outrun” movie will serve as the third video game franchise to receive an adaptation from Universal in recent years following THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE and FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S. Both were hits, as the MARIO movie grossed over $1.3 billion at the global box office and FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S collected a respectable $291 million worldwide. Both movies also have a sequel in the works, building on the world introduced in the first stories.
Related: Are Video Game Adaptations Hollywood’s Next Big Trend?
The high octane, high action premise of “Outrun” is right up Bay’s alley as he is known for action-packed movies, like the TRANSFORMERS series. Meanwhile, Sweeney has begun ramping up her work behind the camera, serving as a producer on ANYONE BUT YOU, IMMACULATE and the upcoming biopic, THE HOUSEMAID.
The “Outrun” adaptation won’t be Sega’s first foray into theaters either, as it has found great success in the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG franchise, which has released three movies along with a TV show. Altogether, the three movies have grossed over $1 billion, while adding numerous A-list celebrities to the cast including Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves, Krysten Ritter and James Marsden.
In recent years, video game adaptations have become the cash cow of Hollywood as the industry moves away from superhero movies. They continue to find incredible success through preexisting fanbases. With many of the most recognizable franchises now being taken, studios will have to turn to lesser known titles, like “Outrun,” which they see potential in to fuel their movies.
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