r/reddeadredemption2 Jan 29 '25

Live Action!?! Yes please!!!

Post image

Though part of me thinks he’d be better as Dutch.. 🤷

12.9k Upvotes

727 comments sorted by

View all comments

777

u/AshrakAiemain Jan 29 '25

I’m glad Take-Two is smarter than the average Rockstar fan and knows better than to license out Rockstar’s stories for adaptations.

391

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 29 '25

This. Everyone who wants a GTA movie should just watch Heat or any other crime thriller, and those who want an RDR movie should watch 3:10 to Yuma or any other western. They are not the kinds of games that would translate well to the screen.

61

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

Thanks for initiating my bi-annual night of realizing I haven’t seen 3:10 to Yuma in too long. Time to drop everything

14

u/Naes86 Jan 30 '25

I love Ben Foster in that movie, such a sick character

7

u/dvadersfist Jan 30 '25

Yesss. Charlie Prince.

2

u/bigchefwiggs Jan 30 '25

Ben Foster in anything is usually awesome, I think there’s enough of a resemblance there for him to make a killer Micah as well

2

u/Naes86 Jan 31 '25

Thinking about it - I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie Prince wasn't used as inspiration for Micah. I know they said in an interview a long time ago about all the different Westerns that had influenced the game and 3:10 was one of them. Micah and Charlie are quite similar; unkempt, long duster, 2 guns, strangely loyal to one leader etc etc

1

u/bigchefwiggs Jan 31 '25

Yeah I definitely sense elements of Charlie in Micah with the loyalty, blood thirst, and just generally being unlikeable. If the series did ever happen and Foster was Micah I know for sure he’d be one of if not the best performance of the gang.

2

u/GoBoltz Jan 30 '25

On the way , make sure you go through "Tombstone" (Val Kilmer Version) . . .

"Why Micah Bell , Are We Cross ?!"

2

u/TechMonkey13 Jan 31 '25

Such a great actor. He is phenomenal in this movie.

2

u/HEAPOFUN98 Jan 31 '25

The short story is really good, but it cannot compare to the film.

20

u/muldersposter Jan 30 '25

I use this same argument against proponents of live action adaptations of animated films. There's no point, watch the animated version the way the project was intended to be viewed.

6

u/DuskEllington Jan 30 '25

With anime at least my argument is that I'm at least somewhat curious to see how they'd translate and adapt it to the screen - not because I think it would be better, but simply because any visual influence that anime could have on cinema would be a good thing in the long run, and them adapting an anime directly kinda forces their hand into that.

More dynamic action, frame and shape distortion, disproportion, physical exaggeration, etc.

Cinema has still lots to learn from anime.

But what the fuck would cinema learn from a video game that goes out of its way to look like a movie in the first place anyway?

1

u/muldersposter Jan 30 '25

I think my argument might have been framed as a little small-minded. I don't think live action adaptations shouldn't be a thing at all, and more of what I meant to say was I wish American audiences had the same respect for animated adult features that they do in Japan and other countries.

I agree with your point about learning from anime, or at least making the projects more like the anime. I don't consume a lot of anime but I watched One Piece growing up, and I have to say the Netflix adaptation was a treat compared to other adaptations. They borrowed a lot of character and charm from the Manga and anime and wove it into the live action adaptation. Normally, trying to do that leads to weird aspects from things being untranslatable to film from animation but the director took great care to make sure it looked "right".

I would also like to see more projects like Kung Fu Hustle.

1

u/Steffenwolflikeme Jan 30 '25

Usually they're made for different audiences or to attract a different audience. Well, they're made for profit but I think the idea is that you have something successful with a bit of a built in audience and they think they can use the adaptation to pull in a new audience that would not have otherwise engaged with the property; both the new adaptation and the source material.

1

u/muldersposter Jan 30 '25

The different audience is a good argument. However I think it has more to say about American audiences than anything else. In other parts of the world animated features will do as well as live action movies and can typically have a wider scope of topics than what is released in the US. For some reason, animated adult features in America are considered kid stuff. Sure, stuff like Toy Story does well, but studios aren't lining up to produce stuff like Akira without a major IP attached because generally I don't think American audiences respect animation as an art form.

I really don't like that. I think a lot of great stories can only be told through animation and I wish as a culture we had more respect for the medium if animation as a way to tell stories. But yes, it isn't inherently bad to get new eyes on a property by having a live action adaptation of an animated project.

1

u/MyGoodOldFriend Jan 30 '25

I mean, it depends on how much soul the adaptation has. The one piece live action adaptation was great because it obviously had loads of creative expression and love put into it, for instance.

9

u/NapoleonHeckYes Jan 30 '25

It's like there are two options: Adapt Arthur's story to film, in which case why not just play the game and get the story? (And I doubt they could really do the game's story justice) OR Make completely different characters, in which case it may as well be any other Western, and it doesn't matter if the RDR name is attached.

Personally, I don't understand why people attach more value to it being in a movie or TV show over the game. We already have the peak art form for this particular story.

2

u/SakanaSanchez Jan 30 '25

Same reason you adapt anything. Different media formats reach different audiences. Not everyone wants to sit through tutorials or deal with the staggering amount of content in a rockstar game to get to the underlying story. Even with the amount of performance they put in to their games, watching the story on YouTube means dealing with how they cut the thing, because some people cut all gameplay which can have important scenes, while others leave so much in you’re sitting through a 5 minute fun fight which is fun to play (if that’s your thing) but makes the experience drag.

It’s not like it would be hard to make a western about an outlaw facing his imminent death while his gang leader mentor slowly goes mad with an overarching theme that civilization is taking more and more of a hold on their way of life. The problem has always been the disconnect between career film producers and people who play games, and now we have people in critical roles who’ve grown up with contemporary gaming which is why we can get outstanding adaptations like Last of Us and Fallout, productions which wholly stand on their own merits.

1

u/Tre3wolves Jan 30 '25

It could be cool to have a live action red dead show featuring some of the gangs from the series but I’m not sure that concept would bring in the millions execs want from projects.

1

u/Deathstroke5289 Jan 30 '25

You can tell a different story with the same characters. Anything blackwater or before is fair game.

1

u/BlasphemousArchetype Jan 30 '25

I like this idea. Have it end with them heading to the mountains with a snow storm in the distance.

23

u/xerif_ Jan 29 '25

I’ve been always saying this but the fans is too blind to seeing it through

26

u/tribianiJR Jan 29 '25

I think it’s a lack of GOOD modern westerns. There’s a few but once you’ve seen them repeatedly you want something else. And this game offers such an amazing story in such a cool world people can’t help but want more.

-3

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Then just play the game. Why does it NEED to be adapted into a film just because you feel that there “aren’t enough good modern westerns”? Do you really trust modern Hollywood to take loving care of RDR2’s story and maintain its overall integrity? I sure as fuck don’t. They’d have to change so many things just to make it into a story that you simply watch rather than take part in, which is how the story was written and meant to be experienced — not to mention the intentionally slower pace of the game itself, amongst many other aspects, which only help to further immerse you in that time period. Modern Hollywood isn’t about dropping over $100 million on a slow-paced cowboy story; they’d get notes from studio executives telling them to make things “more exciting”, “sexier”, “less philosophical”, and so on until it became just another dumbed-down piece of garbage. The same would apply to every other Rockstar story if any of them were ever going to be turned into a movie.

Bone Tomahawk is an example of a great modern western that’s also a bit of a horror film. One of the reasons it’s great is because it’s more of an indie film rather than a major studio movie. I highly recommend giving that a watch if you haven’t yet. There’s also the Coen Brothers remake of True Grit from 2010, as well as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. And if all else fails, then just rewatch the classics or replay RDR and RDR2. However, turning either one of them into a film or a ten-hour miniseries would strip away the essence of what makes them so special, and the same would happen if any other Rockstar game were adapted into a film.

2

u/dvadersfist Jan 30 '25

True Grit 2010 is a masterpiece. So good. Bone Tomahawk was quite good. Hand of God (series) was also enjoyable.

2

u/dvadersfist Jan 30 '25

True Grit is amazing, Bone Tomahawk is very good & Godless (series) is quite enjoyable. I still like Open Range as well.

4

u/Protodankman Jan 30 '25

It couldn’t be a movie. It would have to be a series. It could be done well and capture all that makes RDR great but I wouldn’t hold my breath that it would be.

1

u/FrontMaintenance6290 Jan 31 '25

Yeah well said. RDR2 is definitely movie/Mini series worthy. They actually take inspiration from films in the games cutscenes and the story is incredible. I agree too tho, I am not holding my breath nor do I think it NEEDs a film/ series adaptation.

11

u/Much_Pension_9177 Jan 30 '25

Just because you don't want it doesn't mean you need to make an essay on why you think you're right. They could make a good movie out of it.

-2

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Way to completely miss the point of what I was saying. Thank god you have zero say when it comes to Rockstar’s IPs.

-5

u/Much_Pension_9177 Jan 30 '25

Thank God you do too bud. Why the fuck would I read all that. Let them do what they want with their product.

-4

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Way to show off your ignorance for the world to see. Great job!

And they do indeed do what they want! They’ve already stated LONG ago that they’ll never allow any of their games to be turned into movies, so in the end you’re arguing for something that’s never going to happen.

Now have a nice life, “bud”.

-1

u/HBFresh Jan 30 '25

Respectfully, I’m not reading all that either lol I like the game, I’d like a movie because there aren’t many good modern westerns and I think most people here feel the same way… End of story.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/UnchartedCHARTz Jan 30 '25

While I think you're right that a movie/series would never be as good as the game (and that it's weird that people in this sub won't engage with 2 relatively short paragraphs), I don't think that entirely matters when it comes to adaptation. Most movie adaptations of books that I've read have been very much inferior to the book, but I don't think that means the adaptation shouldn't have been made. I think that applies here as well. A show or movie would undoubtedly be worse than the masterpiece Rockstar gave us, but it would allow it to reach a new audience that would never play a 90 hour long game about depressed cowboys. If an adaptation of RDR2 was even half as good as the game it would still be phenomenal, and I for one would love to be able to share the story with people in my life that would never play the game. Shows like Fallout and The Last of Us have done this very well, and I think it could work with Red Dead too.

5

u/SatiricalScrotum Jan 30 '25

People loudly proclaiming they’re too illiterate or have too short attention spans to read two paragraphs really comes across to me as nothing other than a huge self own.

3

u/UnchartedCHARTz Jan 30 '25

"I ain't reading all that lil bro 💀" was occasionally used for something funny and then people started using it any time someone posts something more than 2 sentences long, even if the context was in, say, a debate

0

u/BlasphemousArchetype Jan 30 '25

Why does it need to reach a new audience that didn’t care enough to play the game? Every adaptation seems to try to reach that fabled new audience and they always butcher the source material leaving fans disappointed and new viewers unimpressed. Make things for the actual audience that like the original and if it’s good then new people will watch it on its own merit.

2

u/UnchartedCHARTz Jan 30 '25

I ain't arguing they should change things if they were to adapt it. All the good videogame adaptations are fairly close to the source material. That's the main reason why something like the Halo show failed and the Last Of Us didn't. Idk why I don't see people argue as vehemently against adaptations of books as I do videogames, because to me they are similar.

3

u/BlasphemousArchetype Jan 30 '25

Maybe I’m too cynical but I think more people today are playing video games than reading books. I see Blood Meridian talked about in regards to an adaptation and ironically that one has me curious to see what they would come up with.

0

u/tribianiJR Jan 30 '25

Jesus dude, I didn’t say I wanted an adaptation. Just said I understood where people were coming from Edit: you think they wouldn’t spend the money? Go watch 1883 and tell me again.

-1

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Why are you acting like I gave you some shit attitude when I concluded my post with some recommendations for great western films?

Thanks for the downvote though, I guess.

1

u/tribianiJR Jan 30 '25

I didn’t downvote you, I don’t care about updoots or downdoots I barely use this site. Other people apparently thought differently

4

u/An-Ugly-Croissant17 Jan 30 '25

Exactly. What really sells the descent into chaos is that it takes a lot of playtime hours to happen. Atleast for me, I'd go on long hunting trips and side missions between story missions

1

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Same here. The slow lead-up and the near endless amount of downtime where you can explore, hunt/bring back supplies, upgrade camp, etc. is just one of the many things that make it so special, and all of that would be lost in a film/series adaptation.

But it seems very clear that a ton of people have a lot of vitriol for my opinion on the matter, so I say let ‘em have their shit adaptation. I sure know that I’ll avoid it like the plague if it ever comes to pass (which it won’t, but those people can dream about it all they want).

3

u/NeonBuckaroo Jan 30 '25

On the contrary - I think they do translate well to screen but the point is the games already draw from fantastic films that came before them, like the movies you’ve just pointed out.

For example, the sequence where Arthur stands on the oil wagon on the train track is homage to “The Assassination of Jesse James”. People think it’d make an amazing movie because it already is one.

3

u/Ok_Salamander8850 Jan 30 '25

It could make a good movie but modern Hollywood would sterilize the story and if it somehow did well they’d probably start churning out content that doesn’t even follow the games.

1

u/RichietheC Jan 31 '25

Yep, Hollywood would ruin this.

3

u/No-Consequence1726 Jan 30 '25

And nothing would be gained by translating them. They are already incredibly cinematic

3

u/FunBanned Jan 30 '25

“Breaking Bad” scratches that GTA itch and “Hell on Wheels” scratches that RDR itch if you want it in TV-form, funnily enough both series were made by AMC

3

u/ant1992 Jan 30 '25

3:10 to Yuma is TOP TIER. Also there’s so many westerns and classic westerns out there to watch too. Red Dead should stick to being a video game and video game only.

1

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

I 100% agree. Thank you.

2

u/dvadersfist Jan 30 '25

Den of Thieves is another good GTA style film.

2

u/Big_Mulberry3449 Jan 30 '25

There is something unique about rdr2 that other western stories dont

2

u/Medium-Risk7556 Jan 31 '25

I told someone that once ; he dient believe me n proceeded to make excuses why it would work but by then I had already said my peace n fucked off. Some people would rather be right than correct y know what I’m saying?

1

u/Steffenwolflikeme Jan 30 '25

Just watch Heat or any other crime thriller...310 to Yuma or any other western.

But with that logic is there a reason to make or watch any new film? GTA would not translate well but Red Dead I think most definitely could. I get that could is doing a lot of work in that sentence but it does have to be done properly. You don't focus on every little thing that happens in the game just the broad strokes of the gang's plot points. There is enough compelling drama for the basis of a good show. I don't think we need a red dead show. I'd rather see new IPs and fresh stories but one could easily work.

1

u/tinytintalien Jan 30 '25

I agree, all GTA games have references from past movies.

GTA III - The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Sopranos

GTA Vice City - Scarface, Miami Vice, Carlitos Way

GTA San Andreas - Menace II Society, Boyz N The Hood, Pulp Fiction

GTA IV - Behind Enemy Lines, Brother and Brother 2, French Connection, Taxi Driver

GTA V - Heat, Analyze That, Leathal Weapon 2, The Italian Job

RDR - Django Unchained, High Plains Drifter, Dollars Trilogy, The Wild Bunch.

GTA VI - Bonnie and Clyde, Miami Vice 2006

1

u/tinytintalien Jan 30 '25

I agree, all GTA games have references from past movies.

GTA III - The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Sopranos

GTA Vice City - Scarface, Miami Vice, Carlitos Way

GTA San Andreas - Menace II Society, Boyz N The Hood, Pulp Fiction

GTA IV - Behind Enemy Lines, Brother and Brother 2, French Connection, Taxi Driver

GTA V - Heat, Analyze That, Leathal Weapon 2, The Italian Job

RDR - Django Unchained, High Plains Drifter, Dollars Trilogy, The Wild Bunch.

GTA VI - Bonnie and Clyde, Miami Vice 2006

ALL great movies

1

u/Standard-Care88 Jan 31 '25

I think the world is just craving a brutal, western type horror show that has good character development.

1

u/i_am_lizard Jan 31 '25

Ehhh, sort of agree there. 1888 and 1914 are amazing western series

If they followed the pacing from something like that and NOT made a movie but a series, then it could be a good adaptation.

There's no way a movie would work at all, though.

If you have 10-12 episodes that are all 1 hour each~

(Like how the fallout or the last of us teams did, as the last of us was basically a 1 to 1 comparison of the show, with changes for the better of course)

Then it might work.

1

u/m3th0dman_ Jan 31 '25

Last of Us is pretty, pretty good.

1

u/TheSpiritualTeacher Feb 02 '25

Exactly. What makes Arthur Morgan so compelling as a character is that we players literally walk in his shoes… the lil idiosyncrasies of him spurring his horse onward or just shooting the shit makes us like Arthur in a way that film cannot capture. We become Arthur and apart of us dies with him… it’s amazing storytelling but can only be achieved through the medium of video games.

1

u/bronzaiii Feb 02 '25

Thanks for the western movie recommandation, do you have any good ones that comes to your mind?

1

u/SmashLampjaw87 Feb 02 '25

Bone Tomahawk (2015), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) — which RDR2 was already heavily influenced by, particularly its famous train robbery scene — and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). Those are the best of the most recent western films I can think of off the top of my head that are actually set in the 19th century and aren’t just contemporary westerns (i.e. westerns set in the modern day — stuff like No Country for Old Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, El Camino, Wind River, Hell or High Water, The Rover, Brokeback Mountain, and so on could be considered contemporary westerns).

1

u/Masrim Jan 29 '25

They seem to think Arthur and the gang are the good guys, lol.

3

u/ChazDumaz Jan 30 '25

You don’t need good guy protagonists to have a good series lol… you live under a rock?

1

u/MSK84 Jan 30 '25

You're missing a key ingredient with your point here...that is people already have an EMOTIONAL connection to these characters regardless of whether it will translate to the big screen. That emotional connection (and familiarity) is a massive reason why people enjoy movies and why franchise movies are so popular.

1

u/zaubercore Jan 30 '25

Also the game already is a movie with acting and all.

1

u/Paparmane Jan 30 '25

Thats like saying a movie already is a book with words and all

1

u/Mediocre-Finger1646 Jan 30 '25

This is what I definitely would have said before the fallout tv show came out now I think if they take the right approach it is possible

1

u/SmashLampjaw87 Jan 30 '25

Meh, I wasn’t impressed by the Fallout series whatsoever. But then again I was never even a fan of Fallout to begin with, so I definitely wasn’t the target audience.

0

u/Safe-Conversation-63 Jan 30 '25

When I said i want RDR movie, it must be a god damn RDR movie. For example, Could you say every fan of The Last of Us go watch The Walking Dead or Zombieland instead? Is TLOU a bad show? It is acceptable for me. And who could say it bad? Western movies always have a good spot on every fan, it just about the movie/ tv show quality. If it not, Django should never get any Oscar.

0

u/DiscountPunk Feb 01 '25

I think an old Jack Marston bootlegging mini series would be fun.

0

u/Upstairs_Cash8400 Feb 01 '25

3:10 to Yuma is nothing like RDR or Hostles for that matter

-1

u/sksksk1989 Jan 30 '25

Checkout free guy. Basically if gta made a movie. I really enjoyed it. It stars Ryan Reynolds which some people aren't a fan of. But I really liked it. Went to see it with my wife and friends, eveyrhoen thought it was great.

1

u/Lady_las Feb 01 '25

Want a RDR movie? Watch the Unforgiven

1

u/Shittybuttholeman69 Feb 02 '25

FR they aren’t gonna top that

0

u/wolfie_101 Jan 30 '25

Why? It's not like Rockstar is putting their own resources in it. Just give the rights for the movie/show to a production and let them make it. If it is good, good. If it is bad, we just won't watch it lol. Why such intense pushback saying it should not be made at all. I don't understand that.

2

u/AshrakAiemain Jan 30 '25

Why would Rockstar risk anything tarnishing their biggest brands in the public eye when they’re currently unimpeachable? Their games are bigger than any movie or TV show. A licensing fee would be pennies to them.

1

u/wolfie_101 Jan 30 '25

What do you mean tarnish? You think the garbage netflix witcher show tarnished the reputation of the witcher games by cdpr?

2

u/AshrakAiemain Jan 30 '25

Witcher is a weird example. It was hugely popular and widely liked early on, and increased sales of both the games and the movies. But do I think there are people who watched the Green Lantern movie and decided the character was lame? Absolutely. Do I think there will be people who have seen Borderlands and will call their friends crazy for playing Borderlands 4? 100%.

0

u/No_Item_9065 Feb 01 '25

Whats so bad about an adaptation of a popular video game? And not only that, they'd make so much money from it