The debut trailer for Disney's game-inspired Prince of Persia film has arrived, offering a glimpse of the Jake Gyllenhaal's antics as the titular (and time-traveling) prince.

Partially written by franchise creator Jordan Mechner, directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean), the film rolls out to theaters in late May. A higher quality version of the trailer is expected tomorrow--for now, you'll have to make due with this blocky YouTube embed.

Update: As expected, a much higher quality version of the trailer is now available.

Die Hard, 12 Monkeys and Hudson Hawk megastar Bruce Willis is set to play Adam 'Kane' Marcus in the silver screen adaptation of IO Interactive's million-selling 2007 shooter Kane & Lynch, the movie's producer Adrian Askarieh has told GameDaily.

"Bruce Willis will star as Kane, and we're about to start casting Lynch," said Askarieh. "It's not going to have every sequence from the game, but it's essentially the story of a mercenary teaming up with a schizophrenic psychopath to save his wife and daughter."

"The script has been incredibly well-received around town," he boasts. "After Bruce Willis read it, he called it one of the best action scripts he's ever read, and Bruce is an expert in terms of action scripts because he's read everything over the last 20 years."

IO Interactive is currently developing a sequel titled Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.

Chris WedgeYet another Electronic Arts franchise is headed to the big screen, as the video game publisher has signed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox for a film based off critter customizing series Spore.

Variety reports that the movie is set to be an animated affair helmed by Ice Age and Robots director Chris Wedge. Blue Sky, which animated those two films, will produce alongside EA.

"From every perspective -- visually, thematically and comedically -- the world of 'Spore' provides the potential to put something truly original on the screen," said Wedge.

The film's script will be handled by The Return of King Doug and The Princess and the Frog scribes Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. No word yet on a release date.

Four months after the BioShock movie was placed "in a holding pattern" over budget concerns, Variety reports that Gore Verbinski has abdicated the director's chair and 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is in talks to succeed him.

Universal Pictures ultimately decided to film the movie abroad to take advantage of tax credits and exchange rates, a decision which would clash with Pirates of the Caribbean director Verbinski's schedule for his next project--though he is still attached to produce.

Fresnadillo's first foray into Hollywood was 2007 'zombie' movie sequel 28 Weeks Later, having previously written and directed several smaller Spanish-language films.

Sweeney Todd and The Aviator writer John Logan is penning BioShock's script.

Adrian Askarieh, the producer of the Hitman movie, has acquired the rights to adapt Eidos' action title Just Cause as a feature film.

Just Cause stars CIA agent Rico Rodriguez, who has been tasked with overthrowing the dictator of a Caribbean island. The story was based on the real-life invasion of Panama, codenamed "Operation Just Cause."

Variety reports that Askarieh plans to produce the film independently, and is currently in the process of raising $30 million in financing for the project.

Askarieh's "Hitman" earned over $100 million in box office ticket... Read more

Film site IESB is reporting that Steven Spielberg is in "active negotiations" to produce a film based on the Halo franchise.

Specifically, Spielberg is said to be "blown away" by screenwriter Stuart Beattie's (Pirates of the Caribbean, Collateral) recent spec script based on the Eric Nyland novel "Halo: The Fall of Reach."

"Reach" serves as a prequel to the original Halo game, explaining the origins of the Spartan soldiers and Halo hero Master Chief.

The first effort to produce a Halo movie was headed up by Peter Jackson and District 9 director Neil Blomkamp. Announced in 2006, the project was put on indefinite hold in 2008.

Earlier this year, Latino Review posted a spoiler-filled synopsis of Beattie's "Reach" script, which can be read below:... Read more

Continuing the recent flood of video game movie news, THR reports that Sony Pictures is pursuing the rights to adapt Sucker Punch's electrifying PlayStation 3 action game inFamous--published by Sony Computer Entertainment--into a feature film.

While the details are still being ironed out, Sheldon Turner (X-Men Origins: Magneto, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) is working on a screenplay, with game-film advocates Avi and Ari Arad (Uncharted, Mass Effect, Lost Planet) attached as producers.

"The game, while big and fun, is at its core a love ballad to the underachiever, which is what our hero, Cole McGrath, is," explained Turner. "What excited me most about the game was it was the first...I've come across that had a big idea and a character arc."

Visceral Games' shooter Dead Space is to bring its scares to the silver screen in a movie adaptation by Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso, Variety reports.

Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce, whose previous work includes Alien vs. Predator, Twilight and I, Robot--and are both producing the Gears of War movie.

Once a screenwriter is found and EA signs off on the creative direction, the property will be auctioned to studios, which Variety says is likely to happen in early September.

Caruso also directed Disturbia--a remake of Hitchcock's thriller Rear Window--and is attached to a movie adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's comic book Y: The Last Man.

Already a comic itself, the Dead Space franchise spreads to Wii on September 29 in the on-rails shooter prequel Dead Space Extraction, while Dead Space 2 is also underway.

In the wake of the baffling announcement that Universal had won a multi-studio bidding war for the rights to adapt Atari's old-school shooter Asteroids into a film, plot details have emerged.

"We've crafted a really strong, deep mythology for the thing," producer Lornezo di Bonaventura told IGN. "It's two lead characters - two brothers - who have to go through a seminal experience to figure out their relationship, against this huge backdrop."

Bonaventura, who also produced G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, added he was "attracted to Asteroids, plain and simple, because I think what it tells you is that there's going to be this big thing in space" and promised that the film will indeed feature "some guys in spaceships blowing stuff up" as a homage to the classic game.

Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth live-action film based on Capcom's popular survival horror game franchise, is to kick start another trilogy of Resident Evil movies, writer and director Paul W.S. Anderson tells ShockTillYouDrop.

"I don't regard it as Resident Evil 4, I regard it as a re-tooling and rebirth of the entire franchise," Anderson explained. "I wanted to kick off a brand new trilogy."

The director further revealed that the 2010-due, Milla Jovovich-starring flick will utilize stereoscopic 3D and "the same camera system [James] Cameron used for Avatar," and will also have a larger budget than any of his past Resident Evil movies.

Microsoft today announced "Halo Legends," a collection of short films produced by various Japanese animation houses, including those responsible for Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist and Dragon Ball.

Similar in concept to The Animatrix or Batman: Gotham Knight, each short will explore "different times, themes and characters" in the universe, with each sporting a distinct visual style. Microsoft Game Studios will be producing the series through its just-revealed 343 Industries division, which is dedicated entirely to the successful Halo franchise.

Microsoft also announced a Xbox Live "destination" called "Halo Waypoint," said to be a new information hub that will provide fans with related news, activities, behind-the-scenes videos, screenshots, podcasts, and so forth along with "a career system and player rankings tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments... Read more

James Wan (Saw, Death Sentence) has signed on to write and direct the feature film adaptation of Konami's vampire-slaying series Castlevania.

Though the project was reportedly dead in the water, it has apparently risen from the grave, with Resident Evil film veteran Paul W.S. Anderson still slated to help write and produce.

"For once, the human hero is as sexy and dangerous as the vampire villain, and his weapon of choice was what attracted me to the project in the first place - The Vampire Killer Whip," Wan told Bloody-Disgusting. "I'm still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for [the project.]"

In his discussion with the site, Wan elaborated on his plans for the... Read more

Update: Blizzard has confirmed that Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man, Drag Me To Hell) will indeed direct the impending Warcraft film.

"Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content," Blizzard stated in a press release.

"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," Raimi added. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."

The Dark Knight and 12 Monkeys producer Charles Roven has signed on to produce the film alongside his production partner Alex Gartner, Legendary... Read more

A fourth Resident Evil film is in the works according to a new report by ShockTillYouDrop.

The film, to be written by series producer Paul W.S. Anderson, is purportedly titled "Resident Evil: Afterlife." STYD has apparently confirmed a release date of September 17, 2010.

No other details on the film were available, though series star Milla Jovovich has apparently been hinting at a reprisal of her role as Alice.

With the movie rights for Pac-Man and Joust already snapped up, the bidding war for the privilege to adapt Atari's old-school rock-buster Asteriods into a film has come to an end.

Universal won the four-studio competition, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra) attached as a producer and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Wanted, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) overseeing. The script is to be written by Race to Witch Mountain (2009) scribe Matthew Lopez.

Also in the works at Universal are four feature film adaptations of classic Hasbro board games, which could result in movies inspired by Battleship, Candyland... Read more

A feature film based on Naughty Dog's action-adventure series Uncharted is in the works at Columbia Pictures, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Kyle Ward, the same largely-untested writer tasked with penning the scripts for Hitman 2 and the Kayne & Lynch adaptation, will handle the screenplay. Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad and Alex Gartner have been assigned as producers.

No other details on the film were mentioned in the report.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the story of Indiana Jones-esque protagonist Nathan Drake, was released in 2007 on PlayStation 3. The anticipated sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, will arrive in stores this November.

Paul W.S. Anderson's filmic adaptation of the Castlevania game series has been returned to the grave, according to a report from Bloody-Disgusting.

Production on the film was halted by the 2007 Writers Guild strike, and according to BD's sources, the movie has now entered development hell.

The reports states that attached director Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard, Trois 3: The Escort) had recently been replaced by unknown directors before the project was shelved. Anderson had shifted into a writer/producer role following the announcement of the film.

The movie would have told the story of whip-wielding Castlevania protag Simon Belmont. Anderson was developing the script with freshman writer Ian Jeffers.

The film adaptation of 2K Boston and Australia's BioShock (PC, PS3, 360) has been put in a "holding pattern" over budget concerns, director Gore Verbinski informed Variety.

"We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit," the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy director explained. "We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do...the film is in a holding pattern."

Universal, which has been funding the project, was adamant that it will actually see release. "No plug has been pulled on BioShock," it told Kotaku. "Universal remains committed to making the project and Gore absolutely remains attached... Read more

Justin Marks, the writer developing the film adaptation of Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus, recently discussed the process of tackling the project in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter blog Risky Biz.

"With a lot of games there are so many elements in the universe you spend your time tearing down and tearing down," said Marks. "What's nice about this game is that it's so sparse so you can start building right away."

Marks, best known for writing Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, feels that the reason many game-to-movie adaptations have failed is that "very few [games] lend themselves to movies."

"If we started thinking that anything that worked in one medium shouldn't be adapted for another we wouldn't have a lot of the great movies we've had... Read more

Pirates of the Caribbean series director Gore Verbinski has decided not to helm the fourth franchise sequel, leaving his schedule open to take on the planned film adaptation of 2K Boston/Australia's BioShock.

"I had a fantastic time bringing 'Pirates' to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry, Johnny and the rest of the creative and production team," said Verbinski in a statement. "I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future."

According to a trade article carried by Latino Review, Universal Pictures' BioShock movie is on target to begin production in 2010.

John Logan (The Aviator, Star Trek: Nemesis) is set to pen the screenplay for BioShock, while Verbinski will likely direct. BioShock creator Ken Levine is apparently being "regularly consulted" during pre-production.