Shinobi is the next Sega video game to receive the live-action treatment. Per Deadline, Extraction director Sam Hargrave will helm the feature film adaptation of Shinobi for Universal.
First released in 1987, Shinobi is a Sega video game that follows Joe Musashi, a highly skilled ninja tasked with stopping evil forces. Along with Sonic the Hedgehog and Alex Kidd, Musashi is one of Sega’s most recognizable characters. Shinobi’s success spawned an entire franchise of more than a dozen games and spinoffs, with over 4.6 million copies sold globally.
Ken Kobayashi (Move On) will write the script, while Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, and Dmitri M. Johnson will produce.
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Hargrave is a former stunt coordinator who rose to prominence working for the Russo Brothers in the MCU on films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Hargrave made his feature film directorial debut in 2020’s Extraction, a Netflix action movie starring Chris Hemsworth. Hargrave’s fighting expertise elevated the film’s action sequences, and the success spawned Extraction 2 and Extraction 3, with the latter in development.
Hargrave’s upcoming directorial projects include Matchbox, a Mattel Films production featuring the famous toy line, and Kill Them All, an adventure about a female assassin based on the popular graphic novel.
Shinobi is the latest Sega game to receive a film adaptation. Sonic the Hedgehog inspired three live-action films and a spinoff miniseries.
Universal is hitting home runs when it comes to its video game adaptations. Illumination and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the second-highest-grossing film of 2023 with a $1.3 billion box office haul. Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy’s shattered expectations with a nearly $300 million gross against a $20 million budget.
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