Arrowhead CEO Responds to Call for the Helldivers Movie Director to Play the Game at Least Once

The CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has responded to instrumentality interest astir the prime of Justin Lin arsenic the manager of the Helldivers movie, aft it emerged helium leaned into not being a gamer for his pitch.

Helldivers 2 is an explosive co-op focused enactment shooter that’s a batch similar a video crippled mentation of cult sci-fi classical Starship Troopers. You play arsenic a disposable worker successful an ongoing galactic war, defending a fascist Super Earth authorities against alien robots called Automatons and bugs called Terminids, each the portion preaching "Managed Democracy." (Incidentally, Sony is besides moving connected a caller Starship Troopers movie, which should marque for a somewhat bizarre one-two punch of sci-fi satire.)

This week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Justin Lin is acceptable to nonstop the upcoming Helldivers live-action movie adaptation. Lin is champion known for his enactment connected the Fast & Furious films, and was the manager of the bid from 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift to 2013’s Fast & Furious 6. He besides directed 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the last movie successful the modern Star Trek trilogy, and 2021’s F9.

But it was 1 paragraph successful THR’s communicative that raised eyebrows wrong the Helldivers community:

Lin is not a gamer and leaned into that arsenic a spot erstwhile pitching his instrumentality connected the material, said insiders. He aims to find the humanity successful the characters and weave timely themes into the story, portion gathering retired a satellite and mythology. There are plentifulness of details waiting to beryllium drawn in, thing that is compelling to the filmmaker.

Some fans are present disquieted that Lin simply won’t get what Helldivers is astir due to the fact that he’s not a gamer and, presumably, hasn’t played Arrowhead’s shooter. And due to the fact that of that, immoderate players believe, the Helldivers movie is astatine hazard of missing the video game’s vibe.

Over connected the authoritative Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani concisely addressed this concern. He archetypal responded to 1 instrumentality who asked if they could nonstop the Helldivers movie alternatively of Lin, saying: “let Justin Lin enactment his magic.”

Jorjani past responded to the pursuing question from a fan:

“If you guys person immoderate sway with Sony implicit the movie tin you marque definite the manager plays the crippled astatine slightest erstwhile oregon astatine slightest sees immoderate gameplay?”

Jorjani replied: “I spot Justin. He did a large occupation connected the Star Trek movie.”

Arrowhead volition apt look this benignant of interest until fans spot the Helldivers movie successful trailer form, oregon perceive from Lin himself connected his imaginativeness for the film. And Helldivers is not unsocial successful this approach. Amazon’s adaptation of God of War is helmed by Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, who isn’t a gamer either.

But it is successful opposition to the concern with the Elden Ring movie, which is being directed by Ex Machina and Civil War manager and self-confessed Elden Ring superfan Alex Garland. In June, Garland told IGN helium was connected his seventh playthrough of FromSoftware's epic phantasy RPG, and revealed the brag helium recovered the toughest to instrumentality down.

As for Helldivers, successful January, Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt insisted the workplace shouldn't person the last accidental connected the Helldivers movie due to the fact that it doesn't cognize thing astir making films.

"We are not Hollywood people, and we don't cognize what it takes to marque a movie," Pilestedt said. "And truthful we don't, and shouldn't, person last say.”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].