Diablo movie confirmed?
- June 18, 2007 11:01 AM PST
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While there has yet to be an official announcement, several signs point to a new movie based on the Diablo franchise.
By Brent Kampe
Following rumors that a Diablo movie was being co-produced by Legendary Pictures, a movie of the same title has been added to the "In Development" section of the production company's website.
Could Diablo be making a comeback with a new movie?
Though there has yet to be an official announcement by either Blizzard Entertainment -- the owners of the Diablo intellectual property -- or Legendary Pictures, Blizzard fansite Blizzplanet speculates that a press release announcing the movie will be issued within a matter of days. Furthermore, the fansite conjectures that a new Diablo game may be announced this August at BlizzCon 2007, which will certainly rally interest in series without a new game release since 2001.
The chances that this new Diablo title represents a movie based on the Blizzard game series are strengthened by the fact that Legendary Pictures is also currently working on a World of Warcraft film with the developer/publisher, which was announced in May 2006. Also, in 2001, Blizzard obtained an injunction against an attempt by New Line Cinema to use the name Diablo for a movie project unrelated to Blizzard's intellectual property, suggesting that Blizzard would have halted Legendary Pictures' most recent project if it were not approved by the Diablo developer itself.
Legendary Pictures boasts a blockbuster pedigree, having co-produced films such as Batman Begins, Superman Returns, and 300 over the past two years. In creating a movie, the company would have much lore with which to work within the Diablo series, which includes two games, an expansion pack for each, and several novels.
