Jack Black is known for many terrific contributions to pop culture – from his unforgettable comedic performances to his excellent musicianship as part of Tenacious D – but one special area of focus for him in recent years (whether purposeful or not) has been in the realm of video game movies. He’s played Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon in the last two game-centric Jumanji sequels, voiced Bowser in last year’s blockbuster hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and soon he will be featured as part of the talented cast of Borderlands. At this point, Black has established credibility in the realm, and he definitely has ideas about big screen projects that he’d like to see in the future.
Total Film recently spoke with Jack Black regarding his work on the upcoming Borderlands movie, and he shared clear thoughts regarding video games that should get the adaptation treatment at some point. He made note of the cinematic potential of one studio’s library in particular, and specifically noted two of their titles:
I can’t believe they haven’t already started making a movie of any of the Rockstar Games – Grand Theft Auto, but especially Red Dead Redemption. Those things are already like movies, you know? I guess that’s the thing. Some video games are already halfway there to telling those kind of stories, and there are some movies that are like video games.
First launched all the way back in the mid-1990s, Grand Theft Auto is among the most beloved and controversial games of all time – best known for allowing players to go on violent virtual crime sprees in an open world urban environment. The last main installment of the series, Grand Theft Auto V, was released over a decade ago, but the world will be hearing a lot more about GTA in the coming months as Grand Theft Auto VI is on track to be released in 2025. As for the Red Dead series, that Rockstar title dates back to 2004 with the Playstation 2/Xbox game Red Dead Revolver, and it was followed by 2010’s Red Dead Redemption (which introduced open world gameplay) and 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The titles are set in the Wild West and feature traditional western storylines.
As exciting as it would be to see either franchise get the film treatment, it’s not terribly hard to see the hurdles here. While there are stories, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead games are enjoyed by many because they let players do pretty much whatever they want in the established environments. That’s a special kind of chaos that separates video games and movies as mediums, and it likely explains why neither series has gotten an adaptation yet.
We’ll have to wait and see if those projects ever happen, but for now, video game fans can prepare for the adventure of Borderlands, which features Jack Black as the voice of the robot Claptrap and co-stars Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Look for it in theaters on August 9 – and if you need a distraction from the wait, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is available to stream with a Hulu subscription, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is presently accessible to Netflix users.