There are reports that Sega’s 1993 fighting game ‘Eternal Champions’ is being made into a movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the live-action adaptation of the Mega Drive/Genesis one-on-one fighting action game is being written by Derek Connolly.
Connolly has gained a reputation for co-writing numerous films based on franchises and well-known IP, having served as a co-writer on films such as the Jurassic World trilogy, Detective Pikachu, Kong: Skull Island, and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
The film will be produced by Skydance, which is expected to merge with Paramount Global next year.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce the film for Skydance, while Toru Nakahara, who oversaw the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film and the 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 featuring characters from various eras.
The game’s plot revolves around the Eternal Champion, a mysterious and omnipotent being who predicts that humanity will go extinct due to the deaths of important figures in history.
The Eternal Champion uses his powers to temporarily save people’s souls just before they die, but he has the ability to permanently resurrect only one of them.
A fighting tournament is held to see which contestant can defeat the other, bring back life and restore balance to humanity – a thief from 1920s Chicago, a vampire from 1967 Vietnam, an American cyber kickboxer from 2345 AD, a cave hunter from 50,000 BC, and an alchemy student from the 1690s murdered in the Salem Witch Trials.
The game was followed by a sequel for the Mega CD/Sega CD, which added 13 playable warriors, including a Sheriff of the West, an Egyptian Pharaoh, and a pirate from the 1500s.
Eternal Champions is just one of a number of Sega IPs currently under contract for live-action film adaptations. Movies based on Comix Zone, Space Channel 5, and Streets of Rage have been reported in the past, while Comedy Central announced an animated show based on Golden Axe earlier this year.
A six-part live-action series based on ‘Like a Dragon: Yazkua’ will also be coming to Prime Video soon, with the first three episodes premiering on October 25 and the final three episodes premiering on November 1.
