Chad Stahelski is keeping busy with his video game adaptations, as a new report from Deadline has revealed that the John Wick director will be producing a Netflix adaptation of the video game Sifu, which was developed and published by Sloclap and released in 2022. The game is a beat-em-up with challenging combat scenarios and a compelling thematic twist based on a game mechanic that causes players to age up whenever they lose a fight. The mechanic requires careful strategy, as when the player’s character ages, they are given access to new powerful moves, but if they get too old, they can die permanently and will have to start the game from the beginning.
Sifu combines elements of time-loop and rogue-like games to create a stunning and addictive fighting game. Its story of revenge can make for an interesting feature film. 87Eleven, Stahelski’s production company behind projects such as Atomic Blonde and The Fall Guy, has officially joined as producers along with Kitchen Story for the feature-length adaptation. Netflix seems to be capitalizing on video game adaptations, with series like Devil May Cry and Castlevania proving the success and potential of adapting classic games.
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Despite being a more recent release, Sifu is already a highly regarded game thanks to its impressive combat with a surprisingly steep learning curve. The environments and cinematic nature of the story inherently lend themselves to the high-octane and practical action that 87Eleven is known for. Interestingly enough, this won’t be the first adaptation of Sifu either, as Amazon Studios and Prime Video technically beat Netflix to the punch.
‘Sifu’ Has Already Received Small-Screen Treatment in ‘Secret Level’
Prime Video
The second episode of the Prime Video anthology series Secret Level, titled Sifu: It Takes a Life, is a 9-minute short depicting the game’s central premise. It was written by Rich Larson and stars Parry Shen and Ping Wu as old and young versions of the main characters. It’s a beautifully animated episode that essentially serves as a proof of concept of what a feature film could be like, showcasing stunning action and the psychological perspective of getting older every time the main character dies in a fight.
Much like Stahelski’s other project currently in development, which is his adaptation of the video game Ghost of Tsushima, Sifu is a tale of revenge at any cost. Deadline’s report of the adaptation doesn’t mention what medium the story will be told in, but given Stahelski’s involvement, it will likely be live-action since the director and his production company pride themselves on their commitment to practical stunt work.
T.S. Nowlin, who is best known for writing films such as The Adam Project and the Maze Runner films, will be working on the screenplay for Sifu. Currently, there is no director attached to the project, and Stahelski only seems to be serving in a producer capacity for now. It’s an exciting time for video game adaptations, and all that remains to be seen is what director is chosen to helm the project and bring the martial arts revenge story to life.
Source: Deadline
Sifu
Writers
T.S. Nowlin
Producers
Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg
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