Justin Lin, who is known for the Fast & Furious movies, has officially signed on to direct Sony and PlayStation Productions’ Helldivers movie, but early details from insiders are already raising eyebrows among fans of the franchise.
Concerns About Lin’s Approach
THR reports that Lin is not a gamer and actually pitched that as a strength when taking on the project.
According to the site’s insiders, Lin wants to “find the humanity” in the characters and inject “timely themes” while building out a larger mythology:
“Lin is not a gamer and leaned into that as a strength when pitching his take on the material, said insiders. He aims to find the humanity in the characters and weave timely themes into the story, while building out a world and mythology. There are plenty of details waiting to be drawn in, something that is compelling to the filmmaker.”
For a series built on satire, over-the-top action, and fascist Super Earth propaganda, that angle isn’t sitting well with longtime players.
Developers Reportedly Have No Creative Input
To make things more concerning, the developers at Arrowhead reportedly sold off the full film rights and have no creative input in the adaptation.
Given how central Arrowhead’s tone and worldbuilding are to the games, fans fear the movie will miss the point entirely.
Early Mistakes Already Piling Up
THR also describes the Automatons as Cyborgs, which doesn’t help confidence in the production’s understanding of the source material, which of course could be the fault of the writer, but still…
The Franchise Background
The movie is based on the hit franchise that began in 2015, with Helldivers 2 becoming one of 2024’s biggest surprises, selling over 12 million copies in four months.
The game is known for its teamwork, humor, chaotic missions, and its satirical take on propaganda and “managed democracy.”
Sony’s film will follow the Helldivers as they battle Bugs, Automatons and the Illuminate — a setup THR compares to Starship Troopers.
The Script and Producers
Gary Dauberman, known for It and Annabelle, wrote the script.
Lin will produce through Perfect Storm Entertainment along with Hutch Parker and PlayStation Productions heads Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.
No release date has been set.
