Vikander's 'Tomb Raider' highlights game-to-film drive

With Alica Vikander announced as lead of the next Tomb Raider film, there's a clutch of big money videogame adaptations heading to theatres. 

Significant budgets and big names are already behind this year's crop of conversions, which include Ratchet and Clank, Angry Birds, Warcraft and Splinter Cell.

A hit with younger audiences, if not the older reviewers. — Sony Computer Entertainment America

Ratchet and Clank
Taking its lead characters from a 14-strong, 14-years-long PlayStation franchise about a heroic cat-alien and his robot friend, the film's cast that includes James Arnold Taylor (Lego DC Comics Super Heroes), David Kaye (Up) and Vincent Tong (Death Note) as well as Rosario Dawson, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne and Sylvester Stallone. 

In theatres: the week of April 29 in most territories; since April 13 in France, from Aug 27 in Japan. 

 

The Angry Birds Movie
Given the speed at which mobile gaming moves, it can seem like The Angry Birds Movie has taken ages to arrive. The first game in the catapult-centric series was released in 2009, spawning billions of downloads (and updates). 

Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Sean Penn and Peter Dinklage are among the stars attached. 

In theatres: the week of May 12 in most territories, and the week of May 20 in the US, Canada and China.

Toby Kebbell (left) and Travis Fimmel star in Warcraft. — Universal

Warcraft
Adapting Blizzard's massively successful MMO, in which players can join one of two factions, Warcraft sees the physically imposing orcs flee into hostile human territory. Destruction seems inevitable unless the two sides can find common ground. 

It stars Travis Fimmel (Vikings), Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Toby Kebbel (Ben-Hur), with Duncan Jones of the multi-award winning Moon as director. 

In theatres: the week of May 26 in much of Europe and beyond, the week of June 10 in the US, Canada, China and elsewhere.

Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch, aka Aguilar, in Assassin's Creed. — 20th Century Fox 2015

Assassin's Creed
Michael Fassbender of X-Men: Apocalypse and Marion Cotillard of The Dark Knight Rises are leading this adaptation of the conspiratorial, artefact-hunting, time-travelling action adventure, with Justin Kurzel of Macbeth at the helm. 

The franchise has seen an astonishing nine core entries in as many years, and the film is a major step further into the film world for French publisher Ubisoft. 

In theatres: the week of Dec 21 for most territories, including the US, Canada and France; UK, Ireland and Germany from Dec 30. — AFP Relaxnews