News + Trends

Sony announces films for "Helldivers 2" and "Horizon Zero Dawn"

7.1.2025

Translation: machine translated

Sony is bringing two of its popular video games to the big screen. Films for "Helldivers 2" and "Horizon Zero Dawn" were announced at CES 2025. "Ghost of Tsushima" will be realised as an anime series. There is also new information on the second season of "The Last of Us".

After the great success and positive experiences with the film of "Uncharted" and the HBO series "The Last of Us", Sony wants to further gild some of its video game brands. At the [CES press conference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV95SMpTW-M], the Japanese electronics company announced film adaptations of "Helldivers 2" and "Horizon Zero Dawn". In addition, the samurai action game "Ghost of Tsushima" is to be realised as a series.

Cinema film instead of series: "Horizon Zero Dawn"

No series, but a cinema film. That is currently the plan for the action role-playing game "Horizon Zero Dawn". The Netflix series announced in 2022 is currently not under a good star. Most recently, there were reports that the project has been put on hold for the time being. Instead, Playstation Studios is now working together with Columbia Pictures on a cinema film.

"Horizon Zero Dawn" was released in 2017 and is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which machine dinosaurs rule the earth. The plot follows the story of Aloy, a young huntress. Over the course of the game, you uncover the secrets of her past and the truth about the machines. A sequel, "Horizon: Forbidden West", was also released in 2022 and a Lego spin-off in 2024.

Details about the plot, a start date or names in front of and behind the camera are not yet known.

"Helldivers 2": Humorous homage to "Starship Troopers" and militarism

The film for the cooperative third-person shooter "Helldivers 2" is a collaboration between Playstation Productions and Sony Pictures. In terms of content, it is strongly reminiscent of the cult film "Starship Troopers" from 1997 as a kind of humorous parody of militarism. The plot is set in a dystopian future. In this future, soldiers defend an authoritarian regime called the Federation of Super-Earth from alien robots, the so-called Automatons, and the beetle-like Terminids.

The online shooter was a surprise hit last year.
Source: Arrowhead Game Studios

The Terminids produce a unique and very valuable resource after their death: E-710, which is used by humans to build Terminid farms on colonised worlds. However, an outbreak of these beetle-like creatures occurs, causing chaos. Almost simultaneously, the Automatons threaten to destroy humanity.

The online shooter was a huge success last year. Exact details about the cast and the release date are not yet known.

"Ghost of Tsushima: Legends": Anime adaptation of the samurai saga

The third project is not a cinema film, but an anime series for the open-world action adventure "Ghost of Tsushima". The series is to be produced by the in-house production company Aniplex and broadcast by the Sony subsidiary Crunchyroll. Director Takanobu Mizuno will be in charge of the series adaptation. He has previously employed on "Star Wars: Visions" and "Higanjima: Love Is Over", among others. Gen Urobuchi ("Madoka Magica") is responsible for the story composition, Kamikaze Douga ("Batman Ninja") for the animation.

The anime series for the samurai adventure is set to be released in 2027.
Source: Sucker Punch Productions

The series will be called "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends", analogue to the multiplayer expansion of the main game. Details about the story are not yet known. However, the title could indicate that the story of Jin Sakai will not take centre stage. The hero from the main game did not play a central role in the multiplayer mode of the same name. The series adaptation is set to be released in 2027.

A film for "Ghost of Tsushima" is also currently being worked on. This is being realised by "John Wick" director Chad Stahelski and will retell the story of the first game. A script already exists, but production is currently delayed.

The plot of "Ghost of Tsushima" is set in 13th century Japan during the first Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima. The game combines historical elements with fictional narratives and follows the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai who stands up to the Mongol invaders.

A sequel to the game, "Ghost of Yotei", has been announced for this year.

Start date and new trailer for the second season of "The Last of Us"

New information has also been released about the second season of the successful adaptation of "The Last of Us". It will start in April 2025 on HBO, the streaming service Max and Sky. A new trailer has been released, offering a first look at the new characters Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) and Dina (played by Isabela Merced). The second season will comprise seven episodes and continue the story of Joel and Ellie in the post-apocalyptic world.

Header image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

17 people like this article