Shattered Union gets film adaptation
Obscure turn-based strategy to become Bruckheimer blockbuster
Take-Two's turn-based strategy title Shattered Union is to become a big budget Hollywood movie, to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by J Michael Straczynski.
Released in 2005, the game was developed by Tropico creators PopTop Software - since absorbed as part of Firaxis Games. Although released to little commercial or critical acclaim the game's backstory of a second American civil war has been enough to attract Bruckheimer's attention.
The game's premise begins with an internal terrorist attack at the inauguration of a controversial new president, which leads to a breakup of the union.
The game subsequently offers seven playable factions: the California Commonwealth, The Confederacy of southern states, the Great Plains Federation, the New England Alliance, Pacifica, The Republic of Texas, a European Union peacekeeping force and Russia - which in the game's story annexes Alaska.
The producer of movies ranging from Beverly Hills Cop to Pirates of the Caribbean, Bruckheimer will oversee the movie for Disney - for whom he is also producing the forthcoming Prince of Persia adaption.
Straczynski is best known as the creator of TV series Babylon 5, as well as screenplays such as Clint Eastwood's Changeling. Shattered Union also has Prince of Persia veterans Mike Stenson and Chad Oman on board as executive producers, according to a Variety report.