Skip to main content

For years, movie adaptations of video games have often received a bad reputation. Many of them, starting with 1993’s notoriously terrible Super Mario Bros. film, have been criticized for veering way off from the source material. No matter how hard Hollywood tries, it can never seem to get things right. Fortunately, many fans are hopeful that the stigma will change in 2022, as the year has quite an interesting lineup of video game movies. Here are some adaptations to get excited for.

Tom Holland and Chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment Thomas Rothman talk Uncharted video game movie at CES 2022
Tom Holland and Chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment Thomas Rothman | Alex Wong/Getty Images

‘Uncharted’ — Feb. 18

The first video game movie of 2022 is right around the corner. The highly-anticipated Uncharted movie, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, arrives on Feb. 18.

This action-packed adventure sees Holland become young Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who works with his mentor, Walhberg’s Sully, to find a $5 billion fortune. However, a few dangerous enemies want to get their hands on the treasure, too. The movie is billed as a prequel to the Uncharted video game series, offering a look at Nathan’s origins.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ — April 8

Sonic the Hedgehog is back for another adventure in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Like the first movie, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) will have to take down Doctor Eggman (Jim Carrey) and stop him from finding the Master Emerald. This time, though, Doctor Eggman has help from Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), and Sonic has help from Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey).

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters on April 8.

Untitled ‘Super Mario Bros.’ movie — Dec. 21

The first Super Mario Bros. movie didn’t fare so well, but perhaps the second time will be the charm. Unlike the live-action version, this adaptation will be animated by Illumination Entertainment. Nintendo surprised fans with a star-studded voice cast announcement in September 2021, revealing Chris Pratt as Mario and Charlie Day as Luigi. Meanwhile, Anya Taylor-Joy will voice Princess Peach, and Jack Black will voice Bowser.

Very few plot details are available right now, including the movie’s official title. However, fans do know the project will see Mario rescue Princess Peach. The Super Mario Bros. movie arrives in U.S. theaters on Dec. 21.

‘Borderlands’ — Release date TBA

Borderlands does not yet have an official release date in 2022. However, the adaptation of Gearbox’s Borderlands games finished filming in June 2021, as seen in the above tweet. A few big-name stars fill out the cast, including Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, and Cate Blanchett.

According to Deadline, Borderlands follows an outlaw named Lilith, who searches for the daughter of Atlas with her band of misfits. She and her team must battle monsters and other dangers in their quest to find the powerful girl. Hopefully, the post-production stage means the movie is close to release.

‘The Division’ — TBA

Another highly-anticipated film is The Division. Based on Tom Clancy’s The Division, the movie follows a group of trained civilians who attempt to save the country from a pandemic virus. For now, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain are the only two confirmed cast members.

The Division is still in pre-production, so it likely won’t release in 2022. However, fans will likely hear updates about the film this year. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber revealed to GamesRadar+ in November 2021 that the movie was making good progress.

“I’m so thrilled about it,” he said. “We’re in the middle of the latest rewrite, and I think we’re going to start shooting [next year]. It’s my next movie, Jake and Jessica are fired up and ready to go. With any luck, we’ll film in 2022 and I’m incredibly excited.”

Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for more updates on video game movies releasing in 2022 and beyond.

RELATED: 6 Video Game Movies That Are Actually Good

Related post url:
Best in Entertainment