Masi Oka, aka Hiro in NBC’s Heroes, is headed for the big screen, but not in front of the camera. Oka is a big World of Warcraft player and the game has inspired him to create a new movie entitled The Defenders. The film has been conceived as a family adventure movie about a group of teenagers from around the world who hide behind their online avatars, playing a MMORPG. They are all forced to come together for a real life adventure, and along the way uncover their inner hero.
Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing, and D.J. Caruso is currently in negotiations to direct. Whilst Kurtzman and Orci are usually known for their screenwriting duties on films such as Transformers and Star Trek, they have handed the writing duties for The Defenders over to Gary Whitta, writer of upcoming movie Book of Eli. Apparently Whitta is also a big fan of World of Warcraft, which makes him an ideal candidate for the movie.
Kurtzman and Orci are currently looking to recreate the spirit of the 80’s and Orci is on record as saying that he and Kurtzman are looking to make…
…the kinds of movies that Amblin used to do, that combined an innocence with the adventure.
The Defenders has been picked up by Dreamworks, with Oka set to executive produce. Dreamworks are also looking to create a game based on the concept.
