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We sent ace reporter John Gaudiosi to Vancouver for an exclusive story from the set of Uwe Boll's upcoming flick Dungeon Siege What he learned surprised us all.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--With the current box office slump showing no signs of slowing, and many big budget movies relying on the narrow window of a weekend or two to make money theatrically in the U.S. video games have become the new comics in Hollywood. There are over 40 films in various forms of production based on video game franchises. And while not every one of them will ever see the light of a theater projector, many Hollywood producers dont think games are a fad.

Like him or loathe him, the most prolific director in the Hollywood videogame frenzy is Uwe Boll. In the course of a few short years, Boll has acquired the rights to videogame franchises Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne, Dungeon Siege, Far Cry, Fear Effect, and Hunter: The Gathering. Unlike many Hollywood entities, the German producer/director has actually raised enough money to film three of these movies.

Alone In the Dark

After getting a taste for games with the $12 million House of the Dead, the 40-year-old Boll filmed the $20 million Alone in the Dark in Vancouver two years ago and the $20 million BloodRayne in Romania last year. Hes currently directing the $60 million Dungeon Siege with Hong Kong auteur Tony Ching helming the fantasy films heavy action quotient.

Having watched a rough cut of BloodRayne, which is expected to hit theaters in January 2006, its apparent that Boll is steadily improving with each film. And the talent hes attracting with each film has also been growing. Moving from low-budget films to the $60 million Dungeon Siege is a huge jump, but the films script by Douglas Taylor takes the set-up of the first game and incorporates some elements from the game, like the Krugs, and expands on it for an original revenge story. Its a Western set in a fantasy backdrop, which offers a unique new twist of the genres. Its this solid and entertaining script, which Ive read, that has attracted top tier talent like Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Ron Perlman, John Rhys-Davies,
Matthew Lillard, and Burt Reynolds.

The Terminatrix goes BloodRayne

On the set of the $60 million feature film, theres no question from the dailies on DVD that the action sequences in the film will provide some kick-ass entertainment. Boll said that he has asked Tony Ching to be creative, and a week on the set showed that hes taken that mandate to heart. Wire-work action blends martial arts stunts with sword-and-sorcery. Krug monsters and medieval knights clash in epic battles in deep forests and open fields. Hundreds of extras, dozens of horses and a huge production crew are busy working 12-hour days through October 11.

This is a big-budget Hollywood film with a 64-day shooting schedule, a top cast and excellent crafts service (always important on the set of a film). Boll plans on editing a two-hour PG-13 cut for theatrical release, which should come in fall 2006, and a three-hour version for DVD for a potential 2007 release.

Despite the critical backlash from gamers and Hollywood reviewers that House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark garnered, Boll has been a genius when it comes to finance. Every one of his films has been funded through private investors, many in Germany where Boll lives when not filming. Anyone whos watched Project Greenlight knows how hard it is to get financing for a film. Yet Boll continues to attract investors who believe in the power of videogame brands internationally.

For the record, Lions Gate Home Entertainment is releasing House of the Dead on PSP August 23; thats after the theatrical version made a profit by earning $10.2 million domestically and $3.5 million internationally. The DVD version alone sold $40 million. And though Alone in the Dark may have crashed and burned domestically with a paltry $5.8, it continues to play internationally with over $5.8 million earned to date. And the Alone in the Dark DVD has been a solid hit in the U.S. with $30 million in sales to date.

Director Uwe Boll on the set

By keeping a tight ship and delivering movies for budget prices, Boll has been able to offer his investors a return on their investment without getting tied up in Hollywoods shady box office math. BloodRayne doesnt need to make $100 million to break even. Actors like Kristanna Loken, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen, and Ben Kingsley have fan followings that should translate to theatrical and DVD success. And while the film wont garner any Oscars, it is a step forward compared to Bolls earlier films.

Of course, the antes been upped with Dungeon Siege, which will need to make more money theatrically than any of Bolls films yet. This caliber of actors will guarantee a respectable opening weekend, and how well the film is edited together will dictate how long the film plays. The source material is there, the footage is there, everythings in place for a potential videogame hit. Dungeon Siege should be the film that puts Uwe Boll on the Hollywood map. If the film delivers, it could go a long way in erasing any bad feelings that previous game-to-film efforts have left with both film and game fans.

For the past decade, John Gaudiosi has covered videogames for news outlets like The Washington Post. He currently serves as the videogame reporter for The Hollywood Reporter, focusing on the convergence of games and entertainment. He also contributes to Playboy Magazine, Wired Magazine and Delta Sky Magazine, and serves as a video game expert for NBC.

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