In the last few years, the film industry has seen a return to its love affair with video game adaptations. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie proved wildly successful and has a sequel well into production, an Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland is hotly anticipated by audiences and, of course, the latest release of Mortal Kombat's newest film outing have all helped to revitalize the video game blockbuster.
With all these properties receiving their due on the silver screen, one video game franchise that deserves a film adaptation more than any other is conspicuously absent. A Red Dead Redemption film would be such an easy sell that it's a wonder one hasn't already been announced.
Once upon a time, the western was Hollywood's go-to for a sure thing, with actors like Clint Eastwood owing their careers to the former juggernaut of a genre. Lately, the western has mostly disappeared from cinemas, with superhero films now the most saturated genre. With the western prime for a comeback, the perfect vehicle for it to do so is Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar's epic duology is the perfect candidate for a film adaptation.
A film following the story of Red Dead Redemption II's prequel would function excellently as a film. The journey to betterment for outlaw Arthur Morgan is a compelling narrative, and the game is full of moments that seemed ripped straight from a film that never existed. The assault on Braithwaite Manor, the failed heist in Blackwater, or Arthur's final confrontation with Micah Bell would all make powerful and emotionally resonant scenes. The games repeatedly pay tribute to some of the most iconic westerns of all time; film is in Red Dead Redemption's DNA.
The game is also full of colorful and loveable supporting characters that could fill out the world. In particular, Sadie Adler and John Marston would make great additions to the cast, their game counterparts having some of the most interesting relationships to Arthur. Dutch van der Linde and Micah Bell also make such compelling allies turned antagonists that such a film would have nothing to worry about in terms of having compelling enough characters that can actually carry a feature film without major re-writes.
A Red Dead Redemption film would also be ripe for sequel potential. With the film following Arthur Morgan's journey, it would naturally develop John Marston along the way, as the two are intrinsically linked in their character development. When Arthur's journey concludes, John's begins, just as in the games. Providing the right actors are cast, the characters would make excellent leads that could stand with Eastwood's Man With no Name in the history books of the western.
One of the biggest challenges of video game adaptations comes in the form of screenwriting. A video game's plot is often not capable of being transferred directly into a film, but Red Dead Redemption would not have this problem. Most of a potential screenwriter's work would already be done. The game's story already functions as a perfect window into the world of the west and is structured in such a way that a writer needs only pick and choose which events to utilize. The game itself already takes inspiration from the Spaghetti Westerns of yesteryear. Taking those elements back to the big screen would be an easy process.
The emotional story of the end of the west and the rise of 'civilized' society is host to massive action set pieces, beautiful scenery, an emotionally resonant story and a duo of leading men that are commonly described as some of the best-written protagonists in video game history. The case for Red Dead Redemption receiving the same treatment as Mortal Kombat is blindingly obvious to anybody that has played the Red Dead games. With this sudden explosion of video game adaptations, it is indeed possible the Van Der Linde Gang could see their story told on the big screen.