Oscar Isaac, perhaps best known for his role as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, is set to play the gruff and stealthy Solid Snake in Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ Metal Gear Solid film. The film has been in talks for quite some time (as far back as 2012, at least), under production at Sony Pictures, but this is the first news that starts to lend some real substance to the movie actually getting made.
Vogt-Roberts is directing the Sony picture, with a script by by Derek Connolly, Avi Arad as producer and Peter Kang overseeing executive duties for the studio. The film is based on the 1997 Hideo Kojima game of the same name on PlayStation, however, previous reports had said that the MGS movie would not adapt any specific game for its script. Solid Snake was originally voiced by David Hayter in the game, though it doesn’t appear that he will have any involvement in this film.
On the surface, Metal Gear Solid is an story about a special operative who must infiltrate Shadow Moses island to stop a terrorist plot from FOXHOUND, but the game’s charm and nuances lie within its experiential engagements and the cracks that appear in the fourth wall to subtly involve the player. One of the most infamous encounters in the game is with Psycho Mantis, who reads your memory card data to know what you play, and can only be beaten by moving your controller input to the second slot on your PlayStation so he can’t “read” your actions. Later games in the series would feature similar elements like turning the clock forward on your system to cause one boss character to die of old age.
It’s unclear how (or if) Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Derek Connolly plan to address some of the more bizarre elements Metal Gear Solid—of which there are plenty—within the film format. However, Hideo Kojima himself gave Vogt-Roberts his blessing to direct, and it seems like the film’s director has an immense amount of reverence and respect for both the creator and the source material.
Even with Isaac attached to the role of Solid Snake, it’s unknown when production on Metal Gear Solid will get underway. Both the COVID pandemic and Isaac’s busy schedule will be factors, but we at least have more, *ahem* solid *cough* evidence that the film is actually happening after a decade of talks.
[Source: Deadline]