You hate to say a movie is going to be a train wreck before the first frame
is shot, but in this case, I think it's a safe bet. MTV Films and Midway are
teaming up on a movie version of The Suffering, a horror game that didn't garner
tons of attention when it was released in 2004, but is getting a movie deal
regardless.
The game follows the story of Torque, a hardened inmate sentenced to die for a
murder he may or may not have actually committed. A sequel, The Suffering: Ties
That Bind is scheduled to ship in September 2005 and lets players delve into the
perverse world of Torque's sanity to discover his past and struggle to control
his future.
MTV Films is working in conjunction with Stan Winston and Brian Gilbert from
Stan Winston Productions and Jason Lust and Rick Jacobs from Circle of Confusion
on The Suffering's development as a feature film project. MTV Films' Senior
Director Jason Weiss, who brought the project to the company, Gregg Goldin and
David Gale will be developing on behalf of MTV Films.
"We are very excited to be working hand in hand with Midway to translate this
innovative game into an edge-of-your-seat film," said David Gale, Executive Vice
President, MTV Films. "Gaming is such a huge part of the culture for MTV's
audience it makes perfect sense for us to work with Midway, Stan Winston and
Circle of Confusion on bringing The Suffering to life as a feature film."
"The Suffering is a true action-horror experience with plenty of disturbing and
twisted creatures," said Alan Patmore, president, Surreal Software. "We are
extremely happy to be working with MTV Films to bring the terror to the big
screen in what promises to be a groundbreaking horror film."