Roger Clark Keen to Take on Video Game Adaptation Role — Red Dead Redemption
Sept. 30 2024, Published 3:00 a.m. ET
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most popular games of the past few years. Maybe it’s the sweeping and beautiful cutscenes and stellar gameplay, or maybe it’s the immersive plot – or both combined to create a game that’s as fun as it is beautiful. Whatever it is, RDR2 will have a prime position in the gaming halls of fame.
With the game being hailed more and more as a work of art, the possibility of some kind of adaptation of the game is being discussed more and more. Nothing can be left in its original medium! After all, shows like The Last of Us showed us that cinematic and emotionally rich games can be used to create a wonderfully cinematic and emotionally rich TV series. Since there are few games quite so complex and spellbinding as Red Dead Redemption 2, there is a chance that we may see an adaptation of some kind in the next few years.
Video games have long been a stalwart of the film industry. There is routinely a two-way relationship. When a video game receives a film adaptation, a film also, typically, receives a video game adaptation. For instance, if you were to compare Canadian gaming sites, you’d quickly see that many have slot games with known franchises like Jurassic Park and Jumanji. Typically, of course, video game adaptations into films receive far more attention than the opposite direction – hence the demand for adaptations of Rockstar IP.
Who is Roger Clark?
Roger Clark is the actor behind the amazing voice performance of the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan. His rich timbre and emotionally-packed voice enabled him to create a really rich sound that came through in the final product.
Recently, he was asked about how he would feel about Morgan moving away from gaming, and into adaptation. Clark expressed great interest in appearing in any kind of adaptation, but he’s not totally sure about whether he would make a good Arthur Morgan. Apparently, he considers himself too old to play that particular role in live-action but suggested a cameo like in The Last of Us.
In The Last Of Us TV series, the two original voice actors for Ellie and Joel (Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, respectively) were featured in cameo roles. Of course, the roles of Ellie and Joel were played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, respectively.
Perhaps this kind of arrangement would suit Clark best, and his iconic voice could perhaps fill the role of a helpful stranger who aids Arthur Morgan on his journey.
Jack Black
Interestingly enough, Jack Black has also weighed in on the chances of a Red Dead Redemption 2 adaptation. It’s well known that Black loves to play video games, and actually shares a streaming channel with his son on which he has played Red Dead Redemption 2 extensively.
He relates that he would love to see a Red Dead Redemption adaptation since he considers that the storytelling in the game itself is so spectacular. In fact, he says that the storytelling rivals The Last of Us! Considering how well that series did, perhaps a similar series made about Red Dead Redemption would be just as good.
Jumanji and Minecraft
Black does, of course, have experience in making game-based movies. While Jumanji has a movie first, the core theme of that movie is that of a game. Then, the Jumanji movies that Black has appeared in are video-game oriented.
The Minecraft movie is another video game movie in which Black appears, playing the famous Steve, who was the first player character in the game.
With this experience in the world of video game movies and games more generally, perhaps Black has some additional insight into what would make a great adaptation. In turn, this would mean he’s much more likely to be right about the quality of a potential adaptation.
Will we see a Red Dead Redemption Movie?
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This is really the most important question to ask about the game series - will it see the light of day as an adaptation?
Well, maybe! However, Rockstar (the studio that makes the Red Dead Redemption games) has stipulated that they would want full creative control over the final product, extending the same demand to their other famous series, Grand Theft Auto.
This means that it’s actually a lot less likely than you might think that Red Dead Redemption could see an adaptation any time soon. While it’s very popular, and an adaptation would likely generate a lot of revenue, very few studios would be willing to work with a game studio that’s offering no control over the creative output.
In a sense, this is quite understandable. Any studio often lives and dies by the most recent project that they’ve made, since each project takes so long to be made. Therefore, if a studio couldn’t step in and alter potential issues with Rockstar’s vision, their reputation could be tarnished if the final adaptation isn’t as good as it could have been.
What else could the game become?
Well, even though it’s unlikely there might be a TV/film adaptation, it’s likely that there may be additional content in that universe. There has been a large amount of downloadable content available for Red Dead Redemption, and it’s likely that there will be more content in this style for the second game in the series.
While it’s not very clear whether or not Red Dead Redemption 2 could be adapted into a movie or TV show, it’s clear that Roger Clark is proud of his work and would be very happy to continue it in other formats. Whatever’s next for the series, you can be sure that it will be worth waiting for.
