Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions have announced the screenwriter for their upcoming film adaptation of the popular video game Ghost of Tsushima. Takashi Doscher, award-winning writer and director, will write the screenplay for the film, Deadline reports.
Doscher’s recent projects include Blue, which is currently in production, and the sci-fi romance film, Only, starring Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Mowgli) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Murder on the Orient Express). He has also worked with Madeline Brewer (Handmaid’s Tale), Nick Blood (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), and Lydia Wilson (Requiem) on his very first feature film, Still. It went on to win several awards and be picked up by The Orchard to be distributed worldwide. Among other notable achievements, Doscher is also the youngest director to sell a film to ESPN after the network bought his feature documentary, A Fighting Chance.
Deadline also previously reported that Chad Stahelski is attached as director of Ghost of Tsushima. He is also set to produce the film alongside Alex Young and Jason Spitz through their production company, 87Eleven Entertainment. PlayStation Production representatives include Asad Quizilbash and Carter Swan. Sucker Punch Productions will serve as executive producers, with Peter Kang representing the studio.
The open-world game Ghost of Tsushima was created by video game developer Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2020. It tells the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai in 1274 Japan, on a quest to protect Tsushima Island from Mongolian invaders. The action-adventure game follows the Samurai Lord as he goes throughout the island recruiting allies and guerrilla fighters to take back the island from the Mongol leader Khotun Khan. The game’s visuals really come into play once the game starts to take a surreal turn when Jin comes across a village under a mysterious poisonous “spell”. The reception was generally positive, and the game became a fan favorite. The beautiful visuals and graphics were praised by most critics. During awards season, it received several nominations and won several awards for its visuals, audio, and overall production.
The collaboration between Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions has been off to a strong start this year. The first production to come from the partnership was the adaptation of Uncharted, which was a box-office hit grossing over $300 million. A TV show for The Last of Us is also in production and expected to air on HBO.
The news of the wonderful creative team behind the scenes as well as the chance to see Jin in action as he takes on the Mongolian invaders is bound to leave many fans excited to see the film. Hopefully, it will live up to the original material and be another strong adaptation.
Stay tuned at Collider for more updates on Ghost of Tsushima.