As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
Options
[Sony Platformers] Sly will be a TV series now, who knows about the movie
cloudeagle
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, if you've had a Sony console since the PS2 days, you may have heard of Ratchet and Clank. Their wacky spacefaring blaster platformers might not sell like they once did, but apparently enough people believe you'd like to see them in the theaters. Really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx1oyMUxmkc
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/ratchet-and-clank-movie-announced-coming-to-cinemas-2015/
If you're curious, Rainmaker used to be Mainframe, makers of Reboot, Transformers: Beast Wars, and other beloved early CG TV stuff. Unfortunately, lately they've just been making Barbie videos and Escape from Planet Earth, which was kinda crappy. Fortunately, the official R&C writer is doing the script, and Insomniac is involved. Plus the teaser's fantastic.
Look like the plot's an origin story:
From IGN:
Screenwriter and Senior Writer for Insomniac Games, TJ Fixman, will handle the script. The movie will be directed by Jericca Cleland and produced by Blockade’s CEO Brad Foxhoven and VP of Development David Wohl, with Rainmaker President Michael Hefferon serving as Executive Producer and Rainmaker’s Kim Dent Wilder and Kylie Ellis serving as Supervising Producer and Producer, respectively.
IGN: How did this project come about?
Brad Foxhoven: The video game industry has some pretty spectacular franchises, filled with compelling characters and engaging story lines. When we looked at Ratchet and Clank, we recognized a franchise that was already very cinematic and with a distinct voice that set it apart from other game franchises. Most of the current crop of animated films are based on new concepts that require the marketing teams to invest a significant amount just to make the audience aware of the basic aspects of the film: who the characters are, what makes this world unique, etc.. With Ratchet and Clank, we already had a massive fan base, and partners in SCEA and Insomniac that would help promote the film.
IGN: What about Ratchet and Clank makes it perfect as an animated theatrical release?
Michael Hefferon: You have an incredible world of characters, locations and situations, that together set the stage for our action adventure comedy that will appeal to family audience. This is already evident in the success of Ratchet and Clank as a game franchise. The strong appeal of the main characters, make them identifiable and likeable that appeal to adults and kids a alike. Although the storyline for Ratchet and Clank is original to the movie, the game franchise provides the film an immediate market awareness – this inherent awareness will be a strong driver for the films success.
IGN: How involved is SCEA and Insomniac with this film?
Foxhoven: They are very involved, which is a big plus for us. We have tremendous respect for what they have accomplished with this game, and their guidance on how to transition this to a feature film. For example, TJ Fixman, who writes for the game, is also our screenwriter. TJ, and other members of the Insomniac team, also help to guide the film's creative vision, consult on animation and design, and even help on our marketing efforts. In many ways, this is more of a collaboration with them than us just running off to make a film.
IGN: Rumor has it that this project is coming in at a much smaller budget than other theatrical releases? How did you do it?
Hefferon: Rainmaker has tremendous experience in producing long form content and has built a feature film pipeline that allows the studio to leverage our technology and strong production methodology to give our artist the ability to achieve high quality results at a much lower cost. A strong driver for us on the Ratchet and Clank film, is the wide range of game assets available to us to base our designs in creating the world. The look of picture has already been established, allowing us to take the art direction for the game and adapt it for a cinematic format.
IGN: Does this use the in-game models or was it built from scratch?
Hefferon: Although the in-game models provide us with reference, all the assets, rigs, models and elements necessary to make the film will be entirely created from scratch. We will use the in-game models for the pre-visualization (Previz) phase, allowing us to block out the storyboard scenes with CGI characters. This allows us to shorten the typical development/preproduction phase and move quicker into production.
IGN: Do you have any ideas for who other voice talent – any "celebrity" talent?
Hefferon: The first thing we're doing right, is working with the talented voice talent from the game for our three main characters to ensure the film is true to the game characters. With our script locked and film now officially announced, we are in discussion with potential celebrity talent – many of whom are big fans of the game.
IGN: What part of the Ratchet and Clank lore will the movie cover? Will any of the story from the games make it into the film?
Foxhoven: The film really covers their "origin" story so to speak. TJ did a great job of inserting elements that would appeal to both existing fans while attracting a new audience that may not be familiar with the game franchise.
IGN: Will the film tie in with a next gen game release?
Foxhoven: The film is a stand alone story, but we will be looking at various ways to coordinate marketing efforts with both Sony Playstation and Insomniac.
IGN: What are some of the planets they might visit in their journeys?
Foxhoven: We want to keep the storyline under wraps for the moment, but fans should expect some familiar locations.
IGN: Which weapons from Ratchet’s famous and expansive arsenal will make it into the movie?
Foxhoven: One of the many cool aspects of this franchise, in addition to the great characters, is the endless supply of crazy weapons and gadgets that these characters use--and rest assured this film is loaded with them.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/23/ratchet-and-clank-animated-movie-headed-to-theaters?abthid=517688abe072c21032000015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx1oyMUxmkcInsomniac Games announced a Ratchet & Clank animated film today, and it's coming to cinemas in 2015. The movie sees Insomniac partner up with digital media studio Blockade Entertainment and computer animation company Rainmaker Entertainment, who recently produced 3D CGI flick Escape from Planet Earth.
A Rainmaker press release from February 2013 indicates their next film, a collaboration with Blockade, entered pre-production in January; production was then scheduled to begin on March 4. Rainmaker notes completion "remains on schedule for third quarter 2014."
"One of the biggest questions we've gotten in the last few years is 'When are you going to make a Ratchet & Clank movie?" Insomniac Community Lead James Stevenson wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "The truth is, we've wanted to do a movie for a long time! Ratchet & Clank's action, humor and galaxy-spanning adventures have really been the basis for a fantastic game series, and we think it'd translate perfectly to the big screen."
Stevenson also revealed Ratchet & Clank writer T.J. Fixman is scripting the film, while Insomniac also has a "hands-on role" with production and animation.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/ratchet-and-clank-movie-announced-coming-to-cinemas-2015/
If you're curious, Rainmaker used to be Mainframe, makers of Reboot, Transformers: Beast Wars, and other beloved early CG TV stuff. Unfortunately, lately they've just been making Barbie videos and Escape from Planet Earth, which was kinda crappy. Fortunately, the official R&C writer is doing the script, and Insomniac is involved. Plus the teaser's fantastic.
Look like the plot's an origin story:
"Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind – a foolhardy 'lombax' who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they’ll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity. "
From IGN:
Screenwriter and Senior Writer for Insomniac Games, TJ Fixman, will handle the script. The movie will be directed by Jericca Cleland and produced by Blockade’s CEO Brad Foxhoven and VP of Development David Wohl, with Rainmaker President Michael Hefferon serving as Executive Producer and Rainmaker’s Kim Dent Wilder and Kylie Ellis serving as Supervising Producer and Producer, respectively.
IGN: How did this project come about?
Brad Foxhoven: The video game industry has some pretty spectacular franchises, filled with compelling characters and engaging story lines. When we looked at Ratchet and Clank, we recognized a franchise that was already very cinematic and with a distinct voice that set it apart from other game franchises. Most of the current crop of animated films are based on new concepts that require the marketing teams to invest a significant amount just to make the audience aware of the basic aspects of the film: who the characters are, what makes this world unique, etc.. With Ratchet and Clank, we already had a massive fan base, and partners in SCEA and Insomniac that would help promote the film.
IGN: What about Ratchet and Clank makes it perfect as an animated theatrical release?
Michael Hefferon: You have an incredible world of characters, locations and situations, that together set the stage for our action adventure comedy that will appeal to family audience. This is already evident in the success of Ratchet and Clank as a game franchise. The strong appeal of the main characters, make them identifiable and likeable that appeal to adults and kids a alike. Although the storyline for Ratchet and Clank is original to the movie, the game franchise provides the film an immediate market awareness – this inherent awareness will be a strong driver for the films success.
IGN: How involved is SCEA and Insomniac with this film?
Foxhoven: They are very involved, which is a big plus for us. We have tremendous respect for what they have accomplished with this game, and their guidance on how to transition this to a feature film. For example, TJ Fixman, who writes for the game, is also our screenwriter. TJ, and other members of the Insomniac team, also help to guide the film's creative vision, consult on animation and design, and even help on our marketing efforts. In many ways, this is more of a collaboration with them than us just running off to make a film.
IGN: Rumor has it that this project is coming in at a much smaller budget than other theatrical releases? How did you do it?
Hefferon: Rainmaker has tremendous experience in producing long form content and has built a feature film pipeline that allows the studio to leverage our technology and strong production methodology to give our artist the ability to achieve high quality results at a much lower cost. A strong driver for us on the Ratchet and Clank film, is the wide range of game assets available to us to base our designs in creating the world. The look of picture has already been established, allowing us to take the art direction for the game and adapt it for a cinematic format.
IGN: Does this use the in-game models or was it built from scratch?
Hefferon: Although the in-game models provide us with reference, all the assets, rigs, models and elements necessary to make the film will be entirely created from scratch. We will use the in-game models for the pre-visualization (Previz) phase, allowing us to block out the storyboard scenes with CGI characters. This allows us to shorten the typical development/preproduction phase and move quicker into production.
IGN: Do you have any ideas for who other voice talent – any "celebrity" talent?
Hefferon: The first thing we're doing right, is working with the talented voice talent from the game for our three main characters to ensure the film is true to the game characters. With our script locked and film now officially announced, we are in discussion with potential celebrity talent – many of whom are big fans of the game.
IGN: What part of the Ratchet and Clank lore will the movie cover? Will any of the story from the games make it into the film?
Foxhoven: The film really covers their "origin" story so to speak. TJ did a great job of inserting elements that would appeal to both existing fans while attracting a new audience that may not be familiar with the game franchise.
IGN: Will the film tie in with a next gen game release?
Foxhoven: The film is a stand alone story, but we will be looking at various ways to coordinate marketing efforts with both Sony Playstation and Insomniac.
IGN: What are some of the planets they might visit in their journeys?
Foxhoven: We want to keep the storyline under wraps for the moment, but fans should expect some familiar locations.
IGN: Which weapons from Ratchet’s famous and expansive arsenal will make it into the movie?
Foxhoven: One of the many cool aspects of this franchise, in addition to the great characters, is the endless supply of crazy weapons and gadgets that these characters use--and rest assured this film is loaded with them.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/23/ratchet-and-clank-animated-movie-headed-to-theaters?abthid=517688abe072c21032000015
Switch: 3947-4890-9293
cloudeagle on
+1
Posts
Steam ID: 76561198021298113
Origin ID: SR71C_Blackbird
Rush Limbaugh is going to have such a tantrum then.
1 - I'm hugely excited for this, as most of you know my feelings on the franchise. This will make my year in movies near perfect! (Ratchet & Clank, Finding Dori, and Avengers 2 make for an awesome trio for 2015)
2 - I am not happy that this is a retrelling of the first game, since Drek is a boring bad guy, Quark became one of the greatest characters ever after his fall from grace in the first game, and I was really hoping that Nefarious would be the main bad guy as he's awesome.
3 - At least Dreamworks isn't doing this.
4 - RATCHET & CLANK MOVIE ARELJADGASDFGJAHF!
Yay!
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Still, the fact that we're getting a theatrical Ratchet and Clank movie at all with the heavy participation of Insomniac is just so mind-bogglingly unlikely I'm just happy it exists.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
I've been playing the Collection recently, and as much as I enjoy the series, I don't think their old method of storytelling holds up well. Every cutscene was just "Hey, Ratchet! Check out this Holo-vid!" (insert cheesy reality TV or infomercial parody that now feels dated and kinda cringey) "Okay Clank, we better check out that planet for some flimsy reason!"
Anyhoo, this is good news, but at this point, any R&C news that isn't an announcement for a new game similar to ACIT leaves me kind of disappointed.
Oddly, the marketing on this game has been rather nonexistent. I only heard about it about a month ago, and I was thinking it might have even been DLC for the last R&C game since its priced at the 30 dollar mark. Reading a review or two, it seems like its about half the length of a normal game, but with all the expected new features of a new game. So im looking into tackling this tonight. It will be a good sendoff for my PS3.
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
They've also cast Paul Giomatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson and Sylvester Stallone (?!) in unnamed roles. Don't worry, the link confirms the guys behind Ratchet, Clank and Quark are still doing their famous roles. And some guy from the series named Armin Shimerman. Armin Shimerman? Hm, that sounds familiar... I dunno, maybe he just had a small, quiet role or something.
Paging @Brainiac 8
As long as it turns out good, I'll be fine.
That is a pretty decent cast to add along with the original voice actors.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Oh, and... Kevin Monroe is doing both, and now both are scheduled for a 2016 release. Maybe it's a double feature, that'd be the first time that's happened since Grindhouse.
Also, here's who the new folks will be playing:
Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti as Chairman Drek
Golden Globe winner John Goodman as Ratchet’s mechanic mentor Grimroth
Young Artist Award winner Bella Thorne as Galactic Ranger Cora
Rosario Dawson as Galactic Ranger support team member Elaris
Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone as Victor Von Ion, Chairman Drek’s villainous lieutenant
Huh. interesting choice for Drek.
And a poster with the requisite pun:
Also, Giamatti as Chairman Dreck is kind of an amazing choice.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Also, the game will be a combination of heavily remixed stuff from the first game and new stuff, including new planets and weapons like the Groovatron and Mr. Zurkon. It'll also feature narration from Captain Quark. Polygon's saying his embellishments and boasting will cause the game to diverge at many points from the movie.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Ah well, here's some game footage.
Edit: Oh fuck, the Bouncer is a pre-order bonus. My weakness! I love that damn thing.
Sounds like it's only going to be $40 too. I assume it'll come out in April, alongside the movie. Early 2016 is going to be insane between it, Uncharted 4, SFV, Mirror's Edge and so on.
True, although I will admit they've been having trouble with where to GO with the series. Which I get, but I also understand it's not all that hard. For a long time now his eventual goal was to find the rest of his kind, something the Future series concentrated on. Into the Nexus took us away from that, which I think was a bad idea.
But I do think that starting over after 7 games, one spinoff, and a few online games we won't mention, it's probably time to do a little retcon work. Can't wait for both the movie and the game.
Is it just me or does that green guy with an enlongated head look like an organic Dr. Nefarious?
Though... man, I can really see why voice actors are all in a tizzy lately, and rightfully so. That cast list of stars at the end.
And the names of the title characters not to be fucking found. Fucking seriously?
I can. On one hand, they know that fans of the series won't go and see it if the people who played the key roles aren't voicing them. On the other hand, James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward aren't names that will sell a movie to newcomers.
That said, April 29th is a scant week before the Marvel Civil War movie. That is NOT a good window... if they're smart, they'll push it out a few weeks early.
Well, the hope is that it's counter-programming -- it's a family movie, which would have somewhat of a different audience than a superhero movie.
At any rate, I'm just glad they didn't dump it in the January/February dead zone. Late April is pretty darn close to the start of the summer movie season nowadays, so it seems the powers that be have some faith in it.
It is Dr Nefarious! It's before he's beaten by Quark and turned into a robot. So excited!
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
And there's a movie game, apparently just called Ratcher and Clank? Goddammit guys, stop doing that. And it's coming out for the PS4 on I think April 12th. I wonder if I'll actually get a chance to play any of the PS>2 games...
And the release dates:
April 12th NA
April 15th France
April 20th EU/AU/NZ
April 22nd UK
Pretty annoying that we have to wait an extra week.
Also, everyone should remember that it's only $40 (or equivalent), so makes sure you get it!
Truth be told I think it was just an abundance of time. The game was set to be out like 6 months ago, but then was delayed. My guess is it was purely to sync it better with the release of the movie, so they had 6 more months to tweak and add whatever they could before launch.
And I still say it should come out probably the Friday after the game releases. I still think releasing it a week or so before Civil War is going to overshadow any hype it had at all, and will fade into obscurity.
It was definitely delayed because of the movie. But good on Insomniac/Sony to keep adding stuff instead of just shelving it.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Oh yeah. Given this is Hollywood we could have easily have wound up with one of the guys from Twilight voicing Ratchet, so I'm impressed with everyone that didn't happen.
Then again Sly's voice got inexplicably changed for his movie, so. (Is that one still happening? Haven't heard zilch on that for over a year.)