Doom is a 2005 film based on the Doom series of games produced by id Software. The film is currently in post-production and is due to be finished in October 2005. A movie based on the series had been widely expected since the first game's original release in 1993. In 2002 it was reported that Warner Brothers acquired live action movie rights to Doom from iD Software. In 1994 or 1995, id Software sold Doom movie rights to a movie studio, but the rights expired apparently due to a lack of timely production.
Plot
Exact details of the plot are not yet known, but it is rumoured to be as follows:
In the year 2145, a squad of Special Ops are sent to the planet Mars, where their investigation reveals that a series of mutant beings are systematically killing off the population there...
Controversy
Some believe that this movie may encourage Hollywood's recent trend towards producing lackluster video game adaptation films. (For examples, see House of the Dead (imdb.com), or Alone in the Dark (imdb.com)).
The movie differs greatly from the video game in both setting and antagonists. In the Doom video games, the main antagonists are demons spawned from a portal. In the movie, however, they are creatures created through a man-made virus.
Production History
- November 27th, 2003, Computer Gaming World printed an article on their website regarding the Doom movie [1]. It states that Warner Brothers is indeed working on the Doom movie and has placed it on the fast track. A revised script was submitted to id Software and approved; John Wells (producer of ER) and Lorenzo Bonaventura (who introduced The Matrix to Warner Brothers) have signed on to work on the Doom movie. Concept art and storyboards have been drawn by Federico D'Alessandro, who has worked on various movies, music videos, and video game covers and advertisements.
- May 15th, 2004, the AP (Associated Press) released a news article regarding video game to movie adaptations that can be found here: Hollywood Interest in Video Games Grows that mentions the Doom movie. Here's an excerpt that mentions the Doom movie: "Soon, more blockbuster game franchises, such as "Halo" and "Doom," are expected to become the basis of movies."
- June 2nd, 2004, Variety reported that Warner Brothers has lost the rights to the Doom movie and Universal Studios has acquired rights to the Doom movie and Variety confirms that the Doom movie will be based on Doom 3.
- June 4th, 2004, IMDb Pro reported that Warner Brothers has lost the rights to the Doom movie and that Universal Studios has picked up the rights also that Enda McCallion has been signed on as the director.
- August 9, 2004, A Doom 3 article in an issue of Time Magazine mentions that Universal is set to film the Doom movie in Prague in the winter of 2004-2005.
- August 15th, 2004, The Hollywood Reporter reported that John Wells Productions is currently in pre-production for the Doom movie.
- August 18th, 2004, a website, Box Office Prophets, made the Doom movie project their movie of the day and they list the release date for the Doom movie, August 5th, 2005. The article also confirms that Universal has Doom on a production schedule of Winter 2004-2005 in Prague. The article can be found here: Doom. The planned release date was mentioned as August 5th, 2005.
- August 10th, 2004, The Hollywood Reporter released an article that mentioned release dates for 8 movies and the third movie listed was the Doom movie. It states that Doom will have a wide release on August 5th, 2005.
- September 15th, 2004, major news has been revealed by both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on the Doom movie. Karl Urban has been cast for the Doom movie as the star, John Grimm, a leader of a special ops team. It has been revealed that he will dealing not only with alien demons but also the organization known as the United Aerospace Corp. that is responsible for the death of his parents. It's also been revealed that Enda McCallion has dropped out of the project and Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak has signed on to be the director. It's also been revealed that production will start in Mid-October with a August 5th, 2005 release date. Also noted is that Universal Pictures is talking to The Rock regarding a role in the Doom movie.
- September 22nd 2004, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Universal Pictures has cast Rosamund Pike opposite of Karl Urban as a scientist named Samantha. Source: 'Doom's' day for Pike with Universal Pics