Houser says GTA film unlikely

Rockstar boss Dan Houser has once more poured cold water on the idea of Grand Theft Auto being adapted to film in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"We don't believe that the Grand Theft Auto games, which are massive in scope and structurally complex, can be adequately compressed into a two-hour movie," Houser said.

As well as feeling the games' scale and depth could not be reflected in film, Houser was also concerned that Rockstar would have to retain creative control of the project in order to ensure it met the developer's standards of quality.

"It seems obvious to us that maintaining the long-term integrity of any entertainment property has been dependent on not making substandard spin-off products to people whose primary interest is making a quick buck," he said.

"If we ever decide to do a film, it will be because we have resolved our creative doubts, and while retaining enough control to ensure that if the movie is terrible, at least we will know we ruined the property ourselves."

Houser's comments come after the unveiling of Assassin's Creed and Halo short film series at last week's Comic-Con, as well as the announcement that Sam Raimi will direct a film based on Blizzard's World of Warcraft. Elsewhere in Hollywood, films based on game properties as cherished as Prince of Persia, BioShock and Shadow of the Colossus are in development.

Will any of these prove to be more than "substandard spin-off products"? We can but hope.