Mass Effect's Commander Shepard
Mass Effect's Commander Shepard

Hot off the recent announcement of a Mass Effect beauty being crowned Vamer Virago for the month of July, we have learned that BioWare and Legendary Pictures plan to hold a panel discussion about the proposed Mass Effect movie at this years Comic-Con in San Diego, California.

What we know so far is that Legendary Pictures have acquired the film rights to the game and will produce a movie set in the Mass Effect universe alongside Avi Arad of Avi Arad Productions – Avi was the former Marvel Studios CEO.  Even better is the news that the producers behind The Dark Knight and Spider-Man are teaming up to create this live-action, big screen adaptation of the successful love child that is Electronic Arts and BioWare’s videogame. Furthermore, the producers are in negotiations with screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, Thor) about penning the script. If you are worried about Hollywood potentially molesting a great series like they have done with Max Pain, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Doom, to name a few, fear not for BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk will serve as executive producers on the film. As a fan of the Mass Effect series, I sincerely hope that they will do justice to the rich source material.

In terms of casting, I hope they choose actors based on talent instead of physical appearance, which is one of the major caveats with previous game-to-movie adaptations. With that said, casting the beautiful and talented Yvonne Strahovski to play the live action role of Mass Effect’s Miranda Lawson, which is currently voiced and modeled after her, is a total no brainer. Also, it would be pretty cool if they could preserve Commander Shepard’s likeness by casting Mark Vanderloo, the Dutch model that Commander Shepard is modelled after, as the lead in the new movie. Of course, this will largely depend on whether or not Mr. Vanderloo can actually act.

The film is said to still be in pre-production but we will find out  more when the Bioware and Legendary Pictures panel convenes at Comic-Con on Friday 22 July 2011.

(Sources: ClevverGames, IGN)

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Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.