Animated “Hellboy” director to helm “Dante’s Inferno” feature
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
The director of the popular animated “Hellboy: Blood & Iron” is slated to helm an animated version of the epic poem, “Dante’s Inferno,” about the nine levels of Hell.
Victor Cook, who is also a producer on “The Spectacular Spider-Man” will be working off of a script by Brandon Auman, a writer for “Iron Man: Armored Adventures.”
Electronic Arts Inc. and Starz Media’s Film Roman announced the start of production on an animated movie based on the epic. The feature-length project will expand on the story in EA’s new video game coming out for the Xbox 360 entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system in 2010.
Just as the poem and game take players on a journey through the nine circles of Hell, the “Dante’s Inferno” animated feature will also follow Dante as he travels through limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery in search of his true love, Beatrice. Both are based on part one of Dante Alighieri’s classic poem, “The Divine Comedy,” better known as “Dante’s Inferno.”
To give added distinction among each of the nine circles, EA and Film Roman (co-producers on the “Dante’s Inferno” project) are taking commissioning unique visions from multiple studios with experience creating some of the top anime in the industry to tell this classic story.
“This is like nothing else out in the marketplace right now – a visually stunning project based on one of the most powerful stories ever told,” Jay Fukuto, Head of Studio for Film Roman said in a news release. “It could only happen with a partner with the vision and creativity of EA. They were great collaborators on ‘Dead Space: Downfall,’ and we expect another very rewarding experience with this new feature.”
Jonathan Knight, Executive Producer and Creative Director for Dante’s Inferno said the game and the movie will each compliment the other.
“The feature will explore aspects of the poem that the game does not, and will provide more insight into the characters and the unique story adaptation that the game has established,” Knight said. “It’s a very cool project, and we are having a blast collaborating with the talented team that Starz has assembled.”
“Dante’s Inferno” marks the second collaboration between the video game company and the animation studio. In 2008, Film Roman produced “Dead Space: Downfall,” an animated feature prequel to EA’s award-winning video game “Dead Space.”
The Dante’s Inferno game is being developed at EA Redwood Shores. For more information about the game, please visit www.dantesinferno.com.
