Metal Gear Solid is one of the properties that has been in development around Hollywood for years and years and years. They’re going to really make it this time, they always say. Then they never do.
It’s been almost six years, for example, since it was reported that Oscar Isaac would star in the film as Solid Snake — and those reports came six more years after it was announced that the game would be adapted to the big-screen by filmmakerJordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island).
Obviously, that combination of creators never produced a movie. Now comes word that the filmmakers behind the recent Final Destination Bloodlines, Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, are developing a “tentpole film” based on Metal Gear Solid for Sony. Avi and Ari Arad are producing the film (if it happens, mind you).
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The Metal Gear franchise, created by Hideo Kojima, dates back to the late 1980s, when the first game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But the iteration that really turned it into a best-selling title was 1994’s Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation, which greatly ramped up ambition of the film’s gameplay and storytelling, and turned it from a 2D to a 3D game with critically acclaimed results.
There have been numerous sequels and prequels since then on a variety of platforms; the most recent, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (technically a remake of one of the earlier games) was released in 2025.
Kojima publicly discussed Metal Gear films adapted from his game series as far back as 2006 — 20 years ago now! — but not a single film has been made of the franchise to date. In addition to Oscar Isaac, actors like Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale have been linked to the role of Snake through the years
Given that track record, you’re forgiven if you’re not optimistic about Lipovsky and Stein’s chances. But they did a really good job with Final Destination Bloodlines. Maybe they’ll surprise the world and actually get a movie into theaters this time.
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