Sega’s 1993 fighting game “Eternal Champions” is reportedly set to be made into a film.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the live-action adaptation of the Mega Drive/Genesis one-on-one fighter will be written by Derek Connolly.
Connolly is known for working on numerous films based on franchises and well-known intellectual properties. He has worked on films such as the Jurassic World trilogy, Detective Pikachu, Kong: Skull Island and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
The film is set to be produced by Skydance, which is set to merge with Paramount Global next year.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce the film for Skydance, while Toru Nakahara – who oversaw production of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films and the Knuckles show – will produce on behalf of Sega.
Eternal Champions was released in 1993 for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and was a fighting game with characters from different eras.
The game's plot revolves around the Eternal Champion, a mysterious, omniscient being who predicts that humanity will become extinct due to the deaths of important figures in history.
The Eternal Champion uses his power to temporarily save the souls of all people shortly before their death, but he is only able to permanently resurrect one of them.
A fighting tournament is held to see which of the fighters – including a burglar from 1920s Chicago, a vampire living in Vietnam in 1967, an American cyber kickboxer from 2345 AD, a caveman hunter from 50,000 BC, and an alchemy student from the 1690s killed during the Salem witch trials – can defeat the others and regain his life while restoring balance to humanity.
The game received a sequel on Mega CD/Sega CD, which added another 13 playable fighters, including a Wild West sheriff, an Egyptian pharaoh, and a 16th-century pirate.
Eternal Champions is just one of numerous Sega IPs currently signed up for a live-action adaptation. Films based on Comix Zone, Space Channel 5 and Streets of Rage have been reported in the past, while Comedy Central announced an animated series based on Golden Axe earlier this year.
A six-part live-action series based on Like a Dragon: Yazkua is also coming soon to Prime Video, with the first three episodes releasing on October 25th and the final three on November 1st.