EA and Film Roman, a division of Starz Media have announced the beginning of production of a feature-length animated film which is based on EA’s upcoming game Dante’s Inferno. The game itself takes inspiration from part one of Dante Alighieri’s classic poem, The Divine Comedy.
The Dante’s Inferno feature-length animation, just as in the poem and game, takes players through anger, fraud, gluttony, greed, heresy, limbo, lust, treachery and violence in search of his one true love, Beatrice.
“This is like nothing else out in the marketplace right now, a visually stunning project based on one of the most powerful stories ever told,” stated Jay Fukuto, Head of Studio for Film Roman. “It could only happen with a partner with the vision and creativity of EA. They were great collaborators on ‘Dead Space: Downfall,’ and we expect another very rewarding experience with this new feature.”
To add to the diversity of the nine circles, EA and Film Roman have ‘commissioned’ unique visions from many studios which have experience in bringing a story alive through animation. Film Roman’s Joe Goyette who has worked on Dead Space: Downfall, a similar animated feature film for the game, is producing the project, Victor Cook, who has worked on The Spectacular Spiderman and Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron is directing, and Brandon Auman who has worked on Iron Man: Armored Adventures is writing.
“The animated feature will be a great companion piece to the game,” commented Jonathan Knight, Executive Producer and Creative Director for Dante’s Inferno. “The feature will explore aspects of the poem that the game does not, and will provide more insight into the characters and the unique story adaptation that the game has established. It’s a very cool project, and we are having a blast collaborating with the talented team that Starz has assembled.”
The Dante’s Inferno animated film project is the second such collaboration between EA and Film Roman, with the latter producing Dead Space: Downfall in 2008, an animated feature as a prequel to the game Dead Space.
The video game Dante’s Inferno is currently being developed at EA Redwood Shores and is expected to be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in 2010.