5. Captain Phillips
Film synopsis: The true story of modern-day pirates hijacking a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia.
Dream developer: Ubisoft Montreal
While the film tells the story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking from a largely American perspective, there is another equally interesting story to be told.
A tale from the opposite perspective would suit the game far better than the tense negotiations the film depicts. The game would put you in the shoes of a young Somalian near the end of a civil war. Born and raised in violence, a life of crime seems like the only opportunity for you. Learning to maneuver on the water and developing the ruthlessness necessary to carry out boat hijackings as you escalate in operation scale.
With Ubisoft Montreal bringing their naval tech from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and the stellar character direction that brought us Vaas from Far Cry 3, you've got the makings of a very emotional and introspective experience with top-notch aquatic combat.
4. American Hustle
Film synopsis: A con man and his mistress are roped into an elaborate operation by an eccentric FBI agent, forcing them into the mafioso underbelly of New Jersey.
Dream developer: United Front Games
While American Hustle may seem at a glance like the most straightforward movie-to-game adaptation on this list, the source material is a lot less Scarface and a lot more Ocean's 11.
Although the film's gunplay is relatively minimal, there's some scrapping that could make good use of the tech developed for Sleeping Dogs, but what really makes United Front Games the ideal candidate for this adaptation is their ability to make incredibly detailed environments. Borrowing some of the aesthetics and design from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and coupling it with their trademark attention to detail, UFG could make one hell of a 1980s Jersey for players to explore.
Players could pull heists and cons, embed themselves within the crime syndicate or work with the police as an informant. As with Sleeping Dogs, the choice on whether to play for the cops or crooks would be largely up to you, but that decision might not always be so easy.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
Film synopsis: The scummiest stock brokers in the world build a debaucherous empire while doped up on Quaaludes and the American Dream
Dream developer: Rockstar North
While there have been plenty of business tycoon games that have offered players the opportunity to experience a rags-to-riches story through careful navigation of economic systems, few have ever offered much more than the opportunity to make more money as a reward.
In The Wolf of Wall Street players buy, sell, trade, and manipulate stocks in order to earn currency to blow on raunchy side missions like "Toss the Midget" or "Shave the Sales Assistant". As the film showed, money is desired for more than its own sake, and by offering players something to do with their earned cash beyond reinvestment that same message could be delivered through play.
No studio does sassy crass quite like Rockstar North, with Grand Theft Auto V offering more mini-games than your average Wii owner's library. Combine that expertise with the complexity of the in-game stock market and there's no doubt they'd be the perfect studio to take on the job.
2. Her
Film synopsis: A whining sentimentalist in the near-future falls in love with the artificial intelligence that runs his computer.
Dream developer: Atlus Persona Team
Atlus Persona Team have already shown us that the intricacies of complex relationships can function as the backbone of a game.
With works like Catherine, there's no reason they couldn't do the same with a story as unique as the boy-meets-computer, boy-loves-computer narrative of Her. While the film intentionally keeps the AI love interest of Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) an ethereal figure, a game could provide us the opportunity to step inside the dreams of Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and experience the different ways in which he imagines his incorporeal love.
A progression-based puzzle mechanic in the style of Pushmo would be right in the developer's wheelhouse and provide an adequate metaphor for the relentless and tedious pursuit of someone as intangible as an artificial intelligence.
1. Gravity
Film synopsis: An accident leaves an astronaut trying to survive while in the weightless environment of outer space.
Dream developer: Visceral Entertainment
Dead Space has already shown us just how frightening outer space can be. Even without all the creepy crawlies to dismember, plenty of tension was derived from the environment. Trading in the claustrophobia of a space station for the agoraphobia of a vast black skybox could prove a winning hit. While there wouldn't be monsters to battle in Gravity, the game could rely on physics-based gameplay like in Angry Birds: Space. Using the similar (albeit less comically severe) propulsion mechanics to bridge yourself from debris to debris could prove a remarkably tense experience.
