Electronic Arts and Starz Media's Film Roman announced today the start of production on an animated movie based on the immortal epic Dante's Inferno. The feature-length project will expand on the story in EA's new game coming out for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 in 2010.
Just as the poem and game take players on a journey through the nine circles of Hell, the "Dante's Inferno" animated feature will also follow Dante as he travels through limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery in search of his true love, Beatrice. Both are based on part one of Dante Alighieri's classic poem, "The Divine Comedy," better known as "Dante's Inferno."
To give added distinction among each of the nine circles, EA and Film Roman (co-producers on the "Dante's Inferno." project) are commissioning unique visions from multiple studios with experience creating some of the top anime in the industry to tell this classic story. Film Roman's Joe Goyette ("Dead Space: Downfall") is the producer on the project, Victor Cook ("The Spectacular Spider-Man," "Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron") is directing and Brandon Auman ("Iron Man: Armored Adventures") is writing.
"This is like nothing else out in the marketplace right now - a visually stunning project based on one of the most powerful stories ever told," notes Jay Fukuto, Head of Studio for Film Roman. "It could only happen with a partner with the vision and creativity of EA. They were great collaborators on 'Dead Space: Downfall,' and we expect another very rewarding experience with this new feature."
"The animated feature will be a great companion piece to the game," said Jonathan Knight, Executive Producer and Creative Director for Dante's Inferno. "The feature will explore aspects of the poem that the game does not, and will provide more insight into the characters and the unique story adaptation that the game has established. It's a very cool project, and we are having a blast collaborating with the talented team that Starz has assembled."
"Dante's Inferno." marks the second such collaboration between the leading video game company and the premier traditional animation studio. In 2008, Film Roman produced "Dead Space: Downfall," an animated feature prequel to EA's award-winning video game Dead Space, both of which were both worldwide successes.