Article title explanation: Late last year the Eidos video game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men became more famous for alleged involvement in the firing of a veteran Gamespot reviewer than for gameplay. Eidos bought a site reskin from Gamespot, writer Jeff Gerstmann penned a less than glowing review, and when he was let go shortly thereafter, rumors swirled that Eidos had pressured Gamespot and/or parent company CNet for the axe.
That all such speculation is likely quite untrue matters little at this point. What does matter is that Kane & Lynch, to the core geek audience, is tainted goods. The public at large, meanwhile, probably thinks Kainen Lynch is the weirdo that made Twin Peaks*. How quickly will those things change if Bruce Willis signs on to play Kane?
THR pegs Non McClane as being ‘in negotiations’ to star in a film adaptation directed by stunt and 2nd unit guy Simon Crane from a screenplay by Kyle Ward. (Ward is also adapting the comic Deal With the Devil for Lionsgate.)
Synopsis happens: The game follows Kane (Willis), a death row inmate who, along with a schizophrenic killer named Lynch, is sprung by Kane’s former team so that he can retrieve a stolen fortune. Kane travels to Los Angeles, Japan and Cuba, with Lynch acting as the team’s watchdog in order to save his wife and daughter.
Producing are all-around good guy Daniel Alter and partner Adrian Askarieh. I like Daniel so much I’ve forgiven him for Hitman. (Askarieh may also be an all-around good guy, but my only interaction with him was watching him yell at Beaks last Comic-Con.)
Crane is currently working on Jonathan Mostow’s The Surrogates with Willis.
*That may be an exaggeration, since Eidos has moved 2 million copies of the game so far.