Gears of War scriptwriter Chris Morgan says rumors about the upcoming movie being a prequel to the videogame aren’t true, and that the Locust Horde will feature prominently if he has anything to say about it. (And he does.)
“There are elements to it that can be considered a prequel,” Morgan said in an interview with MTV News, “but it’s not a prequel as far as I’m concerned.”
The final script has yet to be approved by Epic Games, Morgan said, but he confirmed that the game’s central characters would be present, and strongly implied that “Emergence Day” – the launch of the Locust invasion of Sera – will also figure prominently. “It would be a crying shame not to deal with Marcus and Dom,” he said. “I would not be interested in the movie if we weren’t dealing with them. I want to see those guys. I want to see ‘Emergence Day.’ I want to see this stuff happen.”
Similarly, he said that Locust enemies from the game will also make an appearance. “I don’t think you would want to see a movie of this game without them in it,” he said. “If I have anything to do with it, you absolutely will [see Corpsers and Berserkers in the movie]. And I do. So the answer is ‘Yes.'”
Nonetheless, Morgan said director Len Wiseman wants to avoid excess use of CGI, employing it only for some scenes featuring the Locust and other “big stuff.” “In [Wiseman’s] mind, he wants to make it as realistic as possible, and to blur those lines where your mind says, ‘Oh, it’s a big CGI film’,” Morgan said. But while Wiseman will be responsible for translating the action to the screen, it’s Morgan’s job to ensure the movie feels like Gears of War.
“I can’t write a joke to save my life, but I can, at the right moment, tap into that human thing that comes in when you’re in a foxhole and things are raining down,” he said. “I think you will definitely have those fun moments, those fun lines and moments between the two. But by and large, I think it will be gritty and real. I want to write and play it as though it happened today. Look outside at your city and imagine that the Locust started rising – that’s how I want it to feel.”
