We’ve seen many video game adaptation movies and TV shows cross our screens in recent history… some better than others. But when it comes to cinematic adaptations of our favorite games, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the question of what the best method of adaptation might be. Some on-screen projects aim to adapt the story of the game; as close to 1:1 as possible. Meanwhile, others set a new canon story within the existing game world. Still, others take the spirit of the game and tell an original tale. According to our first-look teaser trailer of Until Dawn, the upcoming movie adaptation of the interactive horror game will take the last approach. The film will tell a completely new story, but incorporate some mechanisms and storytelling facets that are similar to what you might find in the game.
Until Dawn Movie First Look Teaser Trailer and Plot Reveal
Writer Gary Dauberman and director David F. Sandberg walk us through our first-look footage from Until Dawn in this teaser trailer/featurette. Dauberman shares, “I thought a lot about how we could continue this story without giving the audience the same experience they got when they were playing.” Meanwhile, Sandberg notes of the movie and the game, “The same tone and vibe, but it expands upon the universe.” Additionally, he reveals that “One of the creative things the game did is that people make different choices and die in different ways. The movie has this mechanic where things start over, and they get to try again. Every time they come back to life, it’s like they’re in a new horror genre. To survive they have to make it… until dawn.”
We also get a glimpse of Peter Stormare as Dr. Hill, one of the connective tissues between the Until Dawn game and movie. Stormare is so far the only directly adapted part of the Until Dawn game to appear in the film. He notes that he’s proud to be part of this Until Dawn evolution.
Adapting the spirit of a game into a new story is one of the hardest versions of adaptation. One might begin to wonder if the two mediums are really all that connected. Especially given Sandberg’s discussion of exploring several different horror genres in one movie, there could be a bit of a fear the movie loses its focus as an adaptation of the Until Dawn game. But, if skillfully done, the movie could give fans a whole new vision of their favorite property. We’ll have to survive a few more dawns to know for sure.
We’ll soon get a fresh glimpse when the full Until Dawn trailer releases. It’s “coming soon.”
Until Dawn Movie Official Synopsis
The full Until Dawn movie synopsis is as follows:
One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the nightmare again and again – only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.
When Will Until Dawn Release?
Until Dawn releases in theaters on April 25. Although, for now, Sony notes simply that it is “coming soon.”