Fresh off the success of Sony’s Uncharted adaptation starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, it has been announced that Sony Playstation Productions is developing a feature adaptation of the 2019 action-adventure video game, Days Gone. Per Deadline Sam Heughan, who plays male lead Jamie Fraser in Starz’s hit series Outlander, is in talks to headline the film. Oscar-nominated writer Sheldon Turner, who helped pen the scripts for Up in the Air and X-Men: First Class, is writing the video game adaptation’s script.
The original video game, which was released on Playstation 4 in April 2019, sold 9 million units during its shelf life. The third-person video game followed Deacon St. John, an ex-criminal-turned-bounty hunter surviving an apocalypse. In the world of the game, a pandemic turned citizens into “Freakers,” quickly evolving zombies of sorts. Instead of setting up camp like other survivors, Deacon stays on the road traveling on his motorcycle. Deacon soon catches wind that his long-presumed dead wife may be alive, and he sets out on a journey to find her. Players can choose to roam around the world of the game on foot or ride around on Deacon’s motorcycle. Heughan would play Deacon if he officially signs onto the film adaptation.
Turner is set to produce the film alongside Jennifer Klein through Vendetta Productions. Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan will also serve as producers on the Days Gone film. The news of another video game adaptation for Sony is not even the least bit surprising, since this year’s Uncharted adaptation raked in over $401 million worldwide. Days Gone is not even close to being Sony’s only upcoming video game adaptation either, with the company developing series for The Last of Us and Twisted Metal at HBO and Peacock respectively, as well as a Gran Turismo film with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp attached to direct.
In addition to starring in all six seasons of Outlander, Heughan is known for appearing in the films The Spy Who Dumped Me and Bloodshot. Heughan just recently appeared in the British crime series Suspect, and will next be seen on the big screen in the films It’s All Coming Back to Me and Everest. Turner is actually writing the screenplay for Everest, as well as the upcoming film Love is a Gun and the series Wyrd starring Matthew Rhys.
Not much else is currently known about the film adaptation of Days Gone, but stay tuned at Collider for updates!