Gamers have been eagerly awaiting information regarding the upcoming Splinter Cell movie, in anticipation of seeing the popular series come to life on the big screen. Splinter Cell has been one of developer Ubisoft’s most successful titles, and the action game has spawned a loyal following of diehard Splinter Cell fans. The series chronicles the adventures of Sam Fisher, a U.S. government spy who is hired to stop high-tech threats by infiltrating various terrorist groups. Take an undercover spy, stealth, and mass terrorism. Then add a dash of cutting edge technology and the latest in advanced weaponry. The result is the Splinter Cell series - and the perfect ingredients for a high budget Hollywood film.

Recent reports, though, seem to indicate that the upcoming Splinter Cell movie will not be based on any existing Splinter Cell video games or books. Raymond Benson is the original author of the two Splinter Cell novels, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (written in 2004) and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (written in 2005), having used the pseudonym David Michaels. On a major Splinter Cell fan website, Benson has confirmed that the screenplay is “totally originalâ€� and will not be based on the series existing content. The movie, he notes, will not be a rehashing or variation on any previous Splinter Cell title. Benson also reported that he is in no way involved with the production of the upcoming film.

If the movie is not going to be based on the books or the games, exactly what will it be based on? Presumably the film will feature Sam Fisher, since he is the heart and soul of Splinter Cell, but beyond this, it’s anyone’s guess as to the direction the film will take.

Despite the fact that persistent rumors are adding even more fodder to the speculation surrounding the film, little credible information has been released about the Splinter Cell movie. The film is currently in pre-production at Dream Works SKG. No information is available on the cast – in fact, available roles for actors have not been widely publicized. It is known that Peter Berg, the director of Friday Night Lights and The Rundown, was originally tapped to direct the movie but rumor has it that he dropped out of the project late last summer. And the screenplay, currently in progress, has been attributed to Daniel Pyne, best known for his work on The Manchurian Candidate, but this has not yet been confirmed.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.

You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Add to Del.icio.us