The creative director of Arrowhead Game Studios, Johan Pilestedt, has confirmed that the developers of the Helldivers game will not play a significant role in the making of its movie adaptation. When a fan inquired on social media platform X about the studio’s involvement, Pilestedt responded with a candid “yes,” but elaborated further by saying, “The long answer is that we’ll see. We are not Hollywood people, and we don’t know what it takes to make a movie. And therefore we don’t, and shouldn’t, have final say.”
It’s clear from Pilestedt’s comments that although the movie is currently in the early stages, as revealed by Sony at CES last week, Arrowhead won’t be steering the process. While there’s always a possibility for a shift in direction as the project evolves, it doesn’t seem likely this will resemble the collaboration seen in the Last of Us TV adaptation, where game developers had a hand in co-creating it.
The Helldivers film, devoid of any announced team members or specifics, faces the challenge of translating the game’s unique essence to the big screen. The thrill of battling space bugs and robots as part of a space marine corps, which pledges allegiance to a satirical authoritarian regime, will need a fresh cinematic touch. Helldivers draws inspiration from the 1997 classic Starship Troopers—a film, interestingly, also owned by Sony. This creates an intriguing question about whether the upcoming film will echo similar themes.
Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are partnering to bring this project to life, but the future of the film is still in the planning stages. Since its inception in 2019, PlayStation Productions has been busy developing movies and TV series from Sony’s rich array of gaming franchises. Alongside Helldivers, they’re working on adaptations for Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, and several others, making for a total of seven projects without set release dates. Fans can also look forward to adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, and Gravity Rush.
