A film adaptation of Sega’s Shinobi series is in the works from Universal.
As reported by Deadline, the film will be directed by Sam Hargrave, best known as the director of Netflix original film Extraction.
The Shinobi series began in 1987 in the arcade, with its modern day ninja protagonist Joe Musashi becoming a flagship character for Sega alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and Alex Kidd in the early ’90s.
The series continued across the Mega Drive, Game Gear, Saturn, PS2, and Nintendo 3DS, but a new game hasn’t been released since 2011.
However, a new Shinobi game is in development as part of a larger project to bring back classic Sega series. That includes the likes of Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, and Crazy Taxi.
The Shinobi film will follow the huge success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films, which will receive a third instalment in December with Keanu Reeves starring as Shadow the Hedgehog.
A film adaptation of Sega’s fighting game Eternal Champions is also being developed, with Jurassic World trilogy writer Derek Connolly behind the screenplay.
The Shinobi film will have a screenplay from Ken Kobayashi (Sunny, Move On). Universal is behind the production, after its success with Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is in development and will include both “old favourites” and “really deep cuts”.