Video game movie adaptations have grown increasingly better over the years. For proof of that, fans need only look to The Last of Us on HBO, Netflix's The Witcher, and even the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies. It's easy to understand the excitement fans felt when they caught wind of a Metal Gear Solid adaptation in the pipeline at Sony. There have been talks of adapting Hideo Kojima's most popular franchise into a movie since 2006, but there was never any traction.

News for a Metal Gear Solid movie has slowly trickled out of the media, with reports as early as 2006 announcing an adaptation followed by a rollercoaster of announcements ranging from actors and directors interested in tackling the project to the production's cancelation. Even with Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) attached as the film's director and Oscar Isaac poised to play the lead role of Solid Snake, the whole project has been in development limbo with very few signs of it moving forward.

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Casting Oscar Isaac as Solid Snake Might Have Been a Mistake

Deadline Hollywood reported in 2020, 14 years after the project's first announcement, that Oscar Isaac was taking on the role of the franchise's iconic character, Solid Snake. Isaac is a popular actor who has tackled roles in some of the biggest films in Hollywood. There's no question that it's a big deal that a video game adaptation got such a reputable actor. It's even more impressive when one considers how big of a fan Isaac is of the Metal Gear franchise. Unfortunately, casting Isaac might not have been the best move.

Oscar Isaac is a highly sought-after actor, which makes him an incredibly busy person. He's landed roles in some of the biggest blockbusters for multiple years in a row since 2015, starting with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Since then, he's taken on a leading role in Dune, X-Men: Apocalypse, Moon Knight, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While his hectic schedule isn't the only speed bump for the Metal Gear Solid adaptation being stuck in limbo, it's likely a contributing factor since 2020.

Luckily, the project is actively on his mind. The most recent update for the Metal Gear Solid adaptation came in 2022 when Oscar Isaac spoke with IGN during a red carpet event, saying:

Unfortunately, it's not a good sign when a movie is still in pre-production without even a story.

Metal Gear Solid Movie’s Story

According to Isaac's remarks in 2022, there isn't a screenplay yet. As disheartening as that is for Metal Gear fans, it's understandable, considering the breadth of the franchise. The first Metal Gear game launched on the original Nintendo console in 1987 and has since expanded into a total of 23 games that span six decades. The official synopsis for the Metal Gear Solid movie on IMDb says:

An advanced tank is stolen by a terrorist group and an elite soldier, Solid Snake, is dispatched to retrieve it.

It's a broad description for the film since it's essentially the same plot for every MGS game. It's likely the film will follow the story from 1998's Metal Gear Solid game that took place on the Shadow Moses island in Alaska. That's the installment that launched the franchise into mainstream popularity and introduced fan-favorite characters like Revolver Ocelot and Hal "Otacon" Emmerich. However, it's just as likely for the script to take a more linear approach and follow Big Boss rather than Solid Snake at first, leading into Snake's story.

What Fans Want From a MGS Movie

There's no denying that there's a lot of material for a cinematic adaptation of Metal Gear, which means a lot will have to be cut from the final production. Otherwise, the story will be just as convoluted as the games. The cruel reality of adapting any source material is that it needs to appeal to more than just the original fans. However, with so much material for the director to look over, there are so many good things to use.

A Cohesive Story is Vital

After the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Snake and Raiden learn about a massive conspiracy orchestrated by a group known as the Patriots. There's no real sign of this shadow group in previous Metal Gear games, so hinting at its existence in the first movie adaptation would solidify much of the mythology from the video game series.

Build up the Characters and Their Relationships

Snake runs into many characters throughout his adventures, one of whom becomes his partner in crime and best friend. Some are people he knew from his past, such as Frank Jaeger, a.k.a. Gray Fox, a.k.a. the Cyborg Ninja. Their relationship should have a foundation to be built upon for the audience to feel the necessary impact when the two cross paths on Shadow Moses. Perhaps non-linear storytelling would help with these relationships. Flashbacks could help establish characters and their importance to Snake.

Don't let Raiden Headline

Raiden was poorly received by fans during his introduction. He might have grown into a compelling character and could be better utilized in a cinematic experience, but the majority of fans want to see Solid Snake or Big Boss as the lead characters. Raiden should absolutely make an appearance and serve in a supporting role. With the right actor and brilliant writing, Raiden could lead a spin-off series, but fans want to see Solid Snake doing Solid Snake things in a Metal Gear Solid movie.

Metal Gear

The Metal Gear series was originally produced by Konami and features an iconic set of characters like Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Raiden, and more. The franchise has seen a variety of spin-offs but the main series is a third-and-first-person stealth game that has players using a variety of characters across many complex and action-packed storylines.