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Famed journalist John Gaudiosi turns the spotlight on Producer Scott Faye, the man behind the upcoming movie versions of American McGee's Alice and Max Payne. But get this, he actually has a background in video games, giving both films a great deal of promise.

Hollywood producer Scott Faye (Venom, The Six Million Dollar Man) is developing two big game properties for the big screen. Universal Pictures will translate American McGee's Alice into a feature film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Grudge) and directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake)). 20th Century Fox will bring Remedy Entertainment's Max Payne franchise to life with Firm Films and Abandon Entertainment.

Faye has been involved with videogames since 1994, when he left Hollywood to serve as creative director at Philips Media Games. At the time, he said games were just beginning to grow beyond core gamers and enter the mainstream market space. But Hollywood convergence was something that was far from happening. Faye brought Philips the videogame rights to Independence Day before the Fox film became a blockbuster hit. And despite the low cost and the game-friendly concept of aliens invading the Earth, Philips didn't go for it.

Another movie that Faye brought to Philips was Sony Pictures' Jumanji, starring Robin Williams. It was a movie based on a game, and yet no one was interested in making it into a videogame. Faye said getting a movie license made into a game back in those days was like screaming in the wind. He finds solace in the fact the movie's sequel, this November's Zathura, has a videogame shipping in tandem from 2K Games.

"The irony is that today, it's almost impossible to get a greenlight on a videogame unless it's based on a big movie or an existing game franchise,... said Faye, who said that the game business has become more like the hits-driven film industry.

"Videogame companies, like Hollywood, are afraid to take risks,... said Faye. "That's why when a game like God of War comes around, which is an excellent original IP, it seems bigger than it otherwise would because gamers are so inundated with sequels....

One positive that Faye has noted in recent years is the way that game publishers like Electronic Arts has turned Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings into high-quality videogame franchises. He noted that opening development studios in Los Angeles as EA and other publisher have done, adds another layer to the interaction between Hollywood and games. Ubisoft's collaboration with Peter Jackson on King Kong is another convergence example, and a game Faye is looking forward to playing.

"As long as a game stands on its own, and is not just a marketing tool for a movie, I think convergence is great,... said Faye.

Today, there's a huge wave of videogames in development as movies. Over 40 projects are in the works, and that number will grow as soon as a movie like Doom makes a splash at the box office. Faye said that videogames won't go away as film ideas because there's a whole generation of movie-going 12 to 18 year-olds who don't remember a world without a PlayStation Here. In addition, Hollywood now takes videogames seriously as movies. One look at bombs like Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter: The Movie will show you that a decade ago, that wasn't the case. Faye said that a lot of his friends that are Hollywood screenwriters are now writing games, which bodes well for stories and character development in next generation games. This, in turn, will make games better suited for crossover to feature films.

"When I option a game license, I evaluate not just what the essence of the game is, but what it is that fans respond to,... said Faye. "It makes no sense to option a game for name value and then remake it into a completely different thing."

Faye said that with both Alice and Max Payne, he's assembling teams that understand the source material. Both of these projects have been in the works for quite some time, which has allowed Faye to study the game worlds and characters very closely. He said both projects, while they seem like no-brainers for translation to the big screen, offer unique challenges.

"With Alice, the quandary is to what extent to we borrow from the Alice in Wonderland mythology,... said Faye. "We need to be respectful of this, but the film needs to stand on its own as a movie. We hope that the film creates a second mythology that goes beyond the game."

Faye said that Gellar is a huge fan of the game, which helps in the creative process. Screenwriters Erich and Jon Hoeber have had a long time to work out the story. He added that producer Julie Yorn of Firm Films (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) understands what might work and what won't work in a big screen adaptation. Toss in a director who has amazing story sensibility and a unique creative vision, and you have the makings for a film franchise.

"The film narrative will use many aspects of the game narrative structure, including Alice's stolen birthright and the mysteries of what happened in her past,... said Faye. "We're going to reinvent a good portion of the film's look, but fans of the game will welcome what our big screen interpretation of what Alice should look like. The film is truly inspired by the game."

Max Payne is not as far along in development, because Faye said he'd rather take his time and get it right, then make it quickly and risk disappointing the game's legion of fans.

"There's a lot of narrative in the game, but much of it has little impact on how you would create the structure for a film,... said Faye, who hopes to establish Max Payne as this generation's Dirty Harry.

Faye ill draw upon films that influenced his decision to get into Hollywood include '70s classics like The French Connection and Serpico, and the more recent The Professional.

"Max Payne is not the most original story, but there's an opportunity to tell this story in a unique way and establish this iconic character on the big screen, while paying homage to the hard-boiled cop films of the '70s," said Faye.

These two games aren't the only ones Faye has his eyes on, as he's also a gamer. As new games wow audiences, Faye hopes to bring some of the best interactive entertainment to the big screen for years to come.


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, and Delta Sky Magazine, and serves as a video game expert for NBC.

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