Sony Signs ‘Mama’ Director to Shadow of the Colossus Adaptation

Love is powerful, but is it mighty enough to take down towering creatures that would be at home in a Godzilla movie? With the help of an ancient sword, love might be strong enough for such a task faced by the young man Wander in the 2005 fantasy video game, Shadow of the Colossus. In the works for years, Sony's adaptation of the popular game is taking shape with the signing of a director.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed Andrés Muschietti to direct their adaptation of the Playstation 2 video game, Shadow of the Colossus. In the game, a young man named Wander seeks to resurrect the love of his life, a young woman named Mono. In order to have a shot at bringing Mono back from the dead, Wander needs to slay 16 colossi: massive monsters that make Wander look the size of an ant in comparison. Armed with an ancient and powerful sword, Wander sets out on a quest in the Forbidden Land where the colossi roam. Josh Trank (Chronicle) was previously attached to direct the adaptation for Sony, but he's booked with the Fantastic Four reboot and a Star Wars standalone film.

The Shadow of the Colossus adaptation will be Andrés Muschietti's sophomore film effort, as he made his feature directorial debut in 2013 with the Guillermo del Toro executive produced supernatural horror movie Mama (based on his 2008 short of the same name), which he also co-wrote. We have the official press release with full details below:

CULVER CITY, Calif., Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- "Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that Andres Muschietti has signed on to direct the highly-anticipated adaptation of best-selling PlayStation® software title, "Shadow of the Colossus." Seth Lochhead to write the screenplay (under Muschietti's supervision). Barbara Muschietti will come on board the project to produce alongside Kevin Misher, who produces through his Misher Films banner.

The Muschiettis' most recent film was the breakout 2013 horror-fantasy Mama, which the Argentine director helmed and Barbara Muschietti produced, based on their 2008 short. As they join Misher and Lochhead on the project, the filmmaking team will again depict the supernatural in Shadow, set in an epic-scale world filled with mythic giants and disembodied spirits. A fan of the game, Muschietti has a strong vision for the film and its characters, and seeks to translate the immersive game experience into a film that stays true to the human story of a young man attempting to save his lost love by accomplishing a seemingly impossible task ... the destruction of the colossi who roam the forbidden land.

Shadow of the Colossus, published by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio for PlayStation® 2, was directed and designed by revered Japanese video game developer Fumito Ueda. His unique minimalist design and artistic sensibilities have led his games, including Shadow's predecessor, Ico, to achieve cult status worldwide. Shadow of the Colossus was named Best Game at the 6th Annual Game Developer's Choice Awards and earned IGN awards for Best Adventure Game and Best Artistic Design. To date, the game has sold over 2.7 million copies worldwide.

"We knew we had our director once we heard Andy's take on the material – it was genius," said Michael De Luca, President of Production. "The themes, characters and supernatural elements of the story have incredible international appeal with fans of the game in the millions."

Michael De Luca and Andrea Giannetti will oversee the project for the studio.

PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc."