Metro Awakening is about to be the fourth entry in the Metro series of games based on the novels by Dmitry Glukhovsky, this time adopting the VR format for unprecedented immersion in the Moscow Metro. Having sprung from the mind of a passionate author, the Metro series understandably has a reputation for emotional and thought provoking storytelling that could work just as well in other media formats.
In an interview with Game Rant, Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky discussed his work on the series and Metro Awakening in particular, and the possibility of a potential Metro film or television adaptation. Glukhovsky also spoke about how the experience of writing for a game like Metro Awakening differs from writing a novel, instead feeling more similar to screenwriting.
There May Still Be Hope For A Metro 2033 Movie
When asked if he was considering taking the Metro franchise to the big screen, Glukhovsky noted that he had been trying to secure a film rights deal for Metro as far back as 2006. Despite Metro seeing numerous successful game and novel releases since that time, the film adaptation hasn’t come to fruition so far. That said, Glukhovsky hinted at some potential hopeful news on this front, but he couldn’t reveal any specifics.
It’s been a very long journey for me. The first time I ever arrived in Hollywood was probably 17 years ago. I was 27 and I went there to negotiate a film rights deal. 17 years later, we’re still where we are. The three video games have been released, and then three books and a lot of things happening in this universe, and still there is no audio visual project based on that story. I’m hopeful. There are some recent developments that I’m legally not allowed to spoil, but you know, in the world of film and TV, you never know. Things can happen in a moment, completely smashing your expectations and hopes. I’m a bit superstitious, so I’m not disclosing that thing I am working on, on different projects as a screenwriter.
Viewers might be skeptical of video game film adaptations in the wake of the Borderlands movie’s abysmal reception, so perhaps holding out a bit longer is for the best in Metro‘s case. Glukhovsky says that he’s committed to overseeing anything that has to do with Metro, so fans can at least rest assured that a potential Metro film will be in good hands.
Writing A Game Like Metro Awakening Is Similar to Screenwriting
Glukhovsky mentioned that, as a writer, video game writing bears more similarities to film than to novels. Games and films both need a soundtrack, a cast of actors, a script, cinematography, and of course an engaging, coherent plot. When writing a novel, Glukhovsky says that authors can experiment much more with storytelling than in a video game or film, especially with regard to structure.
I think that writing for a game, to me, is closer to writing for film because the story in general, when you create the overall arc and storyline, has to be clear and compact. In writing for a book, you can really just improvise, and you probably don’t even know exactly what’s going to be happening to your main character, you just more or less understand what’s the end station for that character, and then what you want thematically, to convey, right?
Whereas when you’re writing a film script you need to structure, you understand that this is exactly the curve of emotions that you want your character to go through. So it’s more engineered I would say. Writing a video game is always closer to that. It has to go through certain emotions, right?
Although it wasn’t intended to be intially, Glukhovsky sees the potential for Metro to be a transmedia machine capable of delivering worthwhile experiences across a broad range of formats. Hopefully, he’ll have the chance to see this potential realized, and franchise fans can enjoy a Metro movie, comic, or series.
