David Bridges
Quick Summary
- Film Status: Sony is progressing on the Horizon Zero Dawn movie adaptation, with a script completed.
- Release Timeline: The goal is to begin shooting in 2026 and release the film in 2027.
- Character Importance: Aloy is expected to be a central figure in the movie, crucial for franchise development.
- Previous Plans: Initial plans for a Netflix series were abandoned due to misconduct allegations against a key producer.
Back in January, Sony announced a movie adaptation of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn. Nothing has been said about the film since, but it sounds like there’s been enough progress that it may be a few years out.
Sony’s currently in a legal battle against Chinese tech giant Tencent over the latter’s Light of Motiram, which Sony claims is an explicit clone of its sci-fi RPG series. Per the Game Post, PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash has said in a legal declaration filed October 16 that the studio “already [has] a working script, and [is] actively searching for a director, with the goal of shooting the picture in 2026 and releasing it in 2027.”
In that same declaration, Qizilbash also described series lead Aloy as “a key icon in the anticipated film” and important “to the flywheel of franchise building.”
Initially, Horizon Zero Dawn was being prepared as a television series on Netflix a few years ago. But those plans fell apart in 2024 after intended co-showrunner Steven Blackman was accused of abuse and misconduct while in charge of the Umbrella Academy series. The show was scrapped shortly after the report was published, but Sony certainly doesn’t intend to give up. The Last of Us has been a hit on TV, and further movies and shows are intended for PlayStation properties like God of War, Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei, and Helldivers.
If Horizon does land in 2027, the only question is, will it release before or after the Legend of Zelda movie drops on May 7 that year? Guerrilla’s game was famously overshadowed by Breath of the Wild releasing shortly after it came out in 2017. It would be a shame (albeit hilarious) to see that streak continue to the big screen.
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Daniel Mercer
