Last year, a video game by the name of El Paso, Elsewhere came along that kinda blew everyone away (everyone who actually sat down and played it, that is; this wasn’t a triple-A title). If you’re unfamiliar, imagine something with the bullet time functionality of Max Payne, but swap out Max for a Black dude by the name of James Savage. James has his own addiction issues, and is tasked with confronting those demons while also tackling the very minor problem of his ex-girlfriend being a potentially world-destroying vampire. That’s El Paso, Elsewhere.
Anyway, they’re turning that game into a movie. They’ve even got a star lined up.
Says THR:
“LaKeith Stanfield, who most recently starred in The Book of Clarence for Sony, is teaming up with veteran producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura for El Paso, Elsewhere, an adaptation of the neo-noir vampire video game from publisher Strange Scaffold. Stanfield is in talks to star in the feature and will also produce along with di Bonaventura, who is known for his action movies such as the Transformers franchise. Colin Stark will also produce.”
Video game adaptations are all the rage right now! Max’s The Last of Us proved that a video game could be adapted faithfully (and to much success!) on the small screen, while Prime Video’s Fallout adaptation proved that one could monkey around with a game’s established lore while telling its own satisfying tale. Admittedly, El Paso, Elsewhere was not the next game we expected to be making the leap to theaters … but this is kinda the moment for those sorta things to be happening.
LaKeith Stanfield, no stranger to genre fare following his work in Knives Out, Sorry to Bother You, and last year’s Haunted Mansion, is an inspired choice to take on the role of James Savage, though this will be the sort of project that (if done at all faithfully) will demand something of a visionary filmmaker. As of this writing, neither a screenwriter nor a director have been attached to the project, but here’s hoping they land on two exciting names to fill out those roles, and that they’re able to translate even a fraction of El Paso, Elsewhere‘s weirdness to the feature film format.
While we’re waiting on that announcement, here’s the plot synopsis producers are currently working with:
“Recovering from a toxic relationship, James Savage (Stanfield) confronts both his inner demons and enigmatic ex-girlfriend, Janet, before she executes a world-ending ritual. James navigates her reality-bending universe of ethereal monsters while facing the truth of his own addictions and skewed sense of self-worth. James learns that the only route to love is through healing.”
Nothing further to report on El Paso, Elsewhere at this time, but rest assured we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one as it works its way into production. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in, folks (and hey, if you haven’t already played El Paso, Elsewhere, consider this a recommendation; that’s some wild shit).
