Sony’s next live-action video game movie will be based on the Yakuza series

In an exclusive interview with Variety posted today, Wild Sheep executive Erik Barmack announced that his production company is working with Sega and 1212 Entertainment to develop a live-action film based on the Yakuza series.

The film will be produced by Barmack, Roberto Grande, and Joshua Long. Barmack’s producing credits include the Swedish thriller Quicksand, the Indian crime thriller Sacred Games, and the Danish post-apocalyptic drama The Rain. 1212 Entertainment most recently worked on the 2019 film adaptation of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series of horror children’s books.

“With our background in telling global stories, we are excited to bring this huge project to global platforms,” Barnack told Variety.

While the producers are still looking for script writers, the film will likely follow the plot of the original Yakuza, which released on the PlayStation in 2005. The game followed Kazuma Kiryu as he was pulled back into Japan’s criminal underworld after serving 10 years in prison. Expect plenty of action, a dramatic story focused on redemption, and some very weird comedy.

Yakuza is Sega’s second most popular video game franchise, so it’s not surprising the company is looking to follow up the Sonic the Hedgehog adaptation that released this year. Hopefully the first look at this movie will be met with less horror than Sonic’s teeth.

There’s no timeline for the film, so if you want to get into the world of Yakuza soon you should consider picking up a copy of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which is releasing on Xbox One, PC, and PS4 on Nov. 13.