EA Expanding into Hollywood, TV; Hints at Mirror's Edge, Dead Space and Need for Speed Efforts

Electronic Arts today announced that it has inked a deal with with United Talent Agency, described as a "leading Hollywood talent and literary agency," to help create movies and television shows based on EA properties.

The studio listed Army of Two, Need for Speed, Dead Space and Mirror's Edge in the announcement as examples of its popular efforts--suggesting these properties are likely candidates for transition to film or television.

One of the biggest video game publishers in the industry, EA's many properties encompass a variety of genres, including its sports titles, the mythology-rich Command & Conquer strategy series, Skate, and the evolution-simulator Spore.

EA films and shows already in the works include a live-action movie based on The Sims franchise, an animated television show inspired by the MySims games, a direct-to-DVD animated Dead Space prequel, and another unspecified animated effort.

"We view EA as an emerging entertainment force, not just because they are a great untapped IP rights holder, but because at their core they care most about how viewers respond to their stories and creative vision," noted UTA partner Richard Klubeck.