Sega’s 1993 fighting game Eternal Champions is becoming a movie
Jurassic World and Detective Pikachu co-writer Derek Connolly is writing the film
Sega‘s 1993 fighting game Eternal Champions is reportedly set to become a movie.
The Hollywood Reporter says the live-action adaptation of the Mega Drive / Genesis one-on-one fighter is being written by Derek Connolly.
Connolly has a reputation for co-writing numerous movies based on franchises and known IP, with co-writing credits on such films as the Jurassic World trilogy, Detective Pikachu, Kong: Skull Island and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
The film is set to be produced by Skydance, which is set to merge with Paramount Global next year.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will be producing the movie for Skydance, while Toru Nakahara – who oversaw production on the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Knuckles show – will produce on behalf of Sega.
Eternal Champions was released in 1993 for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, and was a fighting game with characters from different time periods.
The game’s plot revolves around the Eternal Champion, a mysterious all-knowing being who predicts that mankind will become extinct as a result of the deaths of key people in history.
The Eternal Champion uses his power to temporarily rescue the souls of each person right before they die, but he only has the ability to permanently resurrect one of them.
A fighting tournament is held to see which of the fighters – including a cat burglar from 1920s Chicago, a vampire living in Vietnam in 1967, a US cyber-kickboxer from 2345 AD, a caveman hunter from 50,000 BC and a 1690s alchemy student killed during the Salem Witch Trials – can defeat the others and gain their life back, while restoring balance to mankind.
The game received a sequel on the Mega CD / Sega CD which added a further 13 playable fighters including a Wild West sheriff, an Egyptian pharaoh and a 1500s pirate.
Eternal Champions is just one of numerous Sega IPs currently signed up for a live-action adaptation. Films based on Comix Zone, Space Channel 5 and Streets of Rage have been reported in the past, while an animated show based on Golden Axe was announced by Comedy Central earlier this year.
A six-episode live-action series based on Like a Dragon: Yazkua is also coming to Prime Video soon, with the the first three episodes releasing on October 25 and the final three releasing on November 1.
