Doom (film)

Doom is a film adaptation of the popular computer and video game series. The film is currently in post-production and is due to be released on October 21, 2005 in North America and October 28th, 2005 in the United Kingdom.

A movie based on the series has been widely expected since the original game's release in 1993. In 1994 or 1995, id Software sold Doom's movie rights to two studios, reportedly Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures, but the rights expired (apparently due to a lack of timely production). In 2002, it was reported that Warner Brothers had acquired the rights, which were subsequently lost and then given to Universal Pictures in 2003. Universal moved the film into production in 2004.

The film stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Sarge, Karl Urban as John "Reaper" Grimm (the Doomguy), and Rosamund Pike as Samantha Grimm, John's estranged sister, who is a scientist at the facility. Other characters include Duke, Destroyer, and The Kid, who are other Marines.

In a recent interview with executive producer John Wells, he stated that a second Doom movie could be created if the first is a box office success.

Plot
Something has gone wrong at a remote scientific research station on Mars. All research has ceased. Communication has failed. And the messages that do get through are less than comforting. It's a level 5 quarantine, and the only souls allowed in or out are the Rapid Response Tactical Squad &mdash; hardened Marines armed to the teeth with enough firepower to neutralize the enemy... or so they think. The research being done at Olduvai station has unlocked the final 10% of the human genome while also opening a door to another dimension. A legion of nightmarish creatures of unknown origin lurk behind every wall and stalk the countless rooms and tunnels of the facility, killing what few people remain.

Sealing off the wormhole to Earth, Sarge, Reaper, and their team must use every weapon at their disposal (and some they find along the way) to carry out their orders: nothing gets out alive.

Other known details

 * id Software has been heavily involved in the movie's production and development from the very start. They reviewed the script that was used in the movie and approved it.
 * One of the weapons included in the movie is the BFG 9000 (rumoured to be renamed the "Bio Force Gun" for the movie).
 * The Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) from the games is also featured in the film.
 * Many monsters from the series are included. So far the Baron of Hell, Hell Knight, Imps, zombies, and the pink Demon have been confirmed.
 * It will have a lot of gore, violence, and harsh language, and has been rated R in the US.
 * There will be some action scenes filmed in a "helmet-cam" style (such as might be integrated in advanced infantry armor), nearly identical to a player's perspective in a first-person shooter.
 * The movie will, in some way, include or contain references to Hell.
 * The origin of the creatures is now supposedly similar to Doom 3, despite previous reports of the involvement of a man-made virus.
 * A theatrical trailer (1:57 in length) was released by Universal Pictures, and is available on the film's web site. It reveals that Olduvai Station is a UAC research facility located on Mars, but does not mention teleportation research. Instead, the trailer explicitly mentions genomic research, possibly belying the claim of a hellish origin for the monsters.
 * It has been reported, via the IMDb Pro forum for the Doom movie, that Universal Pictures gives the movie's running time as 98 minutes.

See also this recent interview with John Wells.

Production history

 * November 27, 2003: Computer Gaming World states that Warner Brothers is indeed working on the Doom movie and has placed it on the fast track. A revised script was submitted to id Software and approved; John Wells (producer of ER) and Lorenzo Bonaventura (who introduced The Matrix to Warner Brothers) have signed on to the project. Concept art and storyboards have been delivered by Federico D'Alessandro, who has worked on various movies, music videos, and video game covers and advertisements.


 * May 15, 2004: The Associated Press, in an article regarding film adaptations of video games, mentions that " [ s ] oon, more blockbuster game franchises, such as 'Halo' and 'Doom', are expected to become the basis of movies."


 * June 2, 2004: Variety reports that Warner Brothers has lost the rights to the Doom movie and Universal Studios has acquired them. Variety confirms that the Doom movie will be based on Doom 3.


 * June 4, 2004: IMDb Pro reports that Warner Brothers has lost the rights to the Doom movie and that Universal Studios has picked them up. Also, Enda McCallion has been signed as the film's director.


 * August 9, 2004: A Doom 3 article in an issue of Time Magazine mentions that Universal is set to film the Doom movie in Prague in the winter of 2004-2005.


 * August 10, 2004: The Hollywood Reporter states that Doom will have a wide release on August 5th, 2005.


 * August 15, 2004: The Hollywood Reporter reports that John Wells Productions is currently in pre-production for the Doom movie.


 * August 18, 2004: The Box Office Prophets web site lists the release date as August 5th, 2005. Their article also confirms that Universal has Doom on a production schedule of "Winter 2004-2005" in Prague's Barrandov Studios.


 * September 15, 2004: Variety and the Hollywood Reporter report that Karl Urban has been cast as the star, John Grimm, the leader of a special ops team. Grimm will deal not only with alien demons but also the organization known as the United Aerospace Corp., which is responsible for the death of his parents. Enda McCallion has dropped out of the project and Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak has signed on to be the director. Production will start in Mid-October with an August 5th, 2005 release date. Universal Pictures is reportedly talking to The Rock regarding a role in the Doom movie.


 * September 22, 2004: The Hollywood Reporter reports that Universal Pictures has cast Rosamund Pike as a scientist named Samantha.