David F. Sandberg & Gary Dauberman To Collaborate On ‘Until Dawn’ Film Adaptation
by Michael Betar IV
'Until Dawn' (Image: Playstation Studios)
Released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 in 2015 by Supermassive Games, the interactive story game Until Dawn has received critical acclaim by both gamers and critics for its branching narrative and innovative method of storytelling. After spawning a few spin-offs based on the main game, Screen Gems in collaboration with PlayStation Productions announced earlier this month that a film based on the game is in the works. Director David F. Sandberg has been slated to direct the film with screenwriter Gary Dauberman writing.
Sandberg is not a stranger to the horror genre as he has previously worked on YouTube “no budget” films with his family and friends, leading to one of his videos, Lights Out, becoming a full feature-length film in 2016. He has also directed Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to the 2014 film, Annabelle, alongside working with the DC Extended Universe to direct two Shazam! films.
This will be the second film that the director will be working with Dauberman on as the screenwriter previously wrote for Annabelle: Creation. He has also written for the recent It and The Nun movies and has done work for an upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.
Fans are curious regarding the film’s direction as the original game was already an interactive movie with the player choosing certain dialog options or hitting the right buttons during quick-time events to develop the story further. Depending on their actions, the narrative will change accordingly letting the game have various paths and endings, opening up rewatchability to see what would happen to the characters if the player had done something differently.
There have also been questions regarding if the game’s original cast members would reprise their roles in the upcoming film. Using motion capture technology, the 2014 game included realistic 3D models of the actors for players to watch in the interactive movie. With over eight hours of content, the film would also have to omit several key moments to reach the normal runtime for commercially released films.
The film is one of many projects from PlayStation Productions to bring their franchises to a wider audience. The HBO exclusive show, The Last of Us, and a recent show about Gran Turismo fan and professional racer Jann Mardenborough among others, were released on various streaming platforms.
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