It’s time for your latest update from the world of movies based on video games! Last week it was looking like some studios had finally started to catch on to the fact that video game movies generally suck, and that maybe they aren’t worth spending money on after all. After the announcement that Len Wiseman was off the Escape From New York remake, there were also reports that his Gears of War feature film was in trouble at New Line due to an escalating budget. Well, it turns out that this was just all just internet hearsay, because both game designer Cliffy B and screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean) have come out to reassure people that it’s still on track. Apparently the flick will have a hard R-rating, and will likely be shot using a green screen set up similar to 300.

So what is it with video game movies wanting to copy 300? It couldn’t be because that movie looked like a video game, could it? It was also announced last week that an Everquest movie has been greenlit, and that Sony have hired 300 scribe Michael Gordon to write it. Former Marvel Studios head Avi Arad will produce. Considering that the Everquest video game is now viewed as a second-rate version of World of Warcraft, is anyone actually going to see this movie over the upcoming WoW film? In the end it seems that no one has learned their lesson at all… video game movies are still too tempting for studios to pass on. Hitman is the next one to hit theatres on November 21st. Any predictions on how it will do?