As you know, there was a Mass Effect movie in the works at one point, but apparently, things didn’t pan out, according to Bioware.
Speaking with Business Insider, Mass Effect writer Marc Walters said during the scriptwriting process, the team felt it was “always fighting the IP.”
“What story are we going to tell in 90 to 120 minutes? Are we going to do it justice?” stated Walters.
When the film version seemed scrapped, it was suggested a TV adaptation would work best, but it too never materialized, but not for “lack of trying.”
Walters believes an episodic series is the way to go with Mass Effect.
“If you’re going to tell a story that’s as fleshed out as Mass Effect, TV is the way to do it. There’s a natural way it fits well with episodic content,” said Walters.
Even though the movie and proposed TV series never got off the ground, he believes at some point Hollywood will come calling because it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”
“It’s such an expansive world, and so many people I know in the TV and film industry have reached out to ask me when we’re going to do it and saying we’ve got to do it,” he said.
Announced ten years ago as being in the works at Legendary Pictures, the Mass Effect film had some heavy hitters behind it at one point. It was to be jointly produced by Ari and Avi Arad who are producing the Metal Gear Solid film currently in pre-production, the Borderlands film, and the long in the works Uncharted movie which is set to release in February 2022.
The film was also to be co-produced by Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni. BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, along with Mass Effect lead Casey Hudson, were also on board as executive producers.
Originally set to be penned by Mark Protosevich (Thor, I Am Legend), the first script didn’t meet with approval so it was handed over to Morgan Davis Foehl (Blackhat).
Eight years ago it was suggested by Avi Arad that the film was five to six years out, and that was the last we heard anything about it. Now we know why.
Until an adaptation is made, whether it be a film or TV series, we at least have the games. There’s the recently released Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and another game in the franchise is currently in the works at Bioware.