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[VGMP] HEADHUNTER - 2003 Movie Treatment Found!
Rory Joscelyne • 3 May 2021
EXCLUSIVE: 2003 Cyberpunk Video Game Adaptation FOUND
ABOUT THE
DISCOVERY
ABOUT THE
DISCOVERY
On 10th January 2020, Cyberpunk Studios had an exclusive interview with screenwriter Ben Trebilcook (via our radio show Inside The Cyberpunk Studio). During the interview, Ben mentioned that he had worked on a cyberpunk film treatment for classic SEGA title Headhunter - he had been commissioned to do the treatment in 2003, however the film never made it past pre-production.
Host Rory Joscelyne happens to be a huge SEGA fan, having worked with SEGA Europe on the Summer of Sonic conventions in London (and Brighton) and immediately requested some information on the little known adaptation. Here we will share all the information we have on the project, and above is a video link to the interview with Ben that centres around the Headhunter film. Ben Trebilcook has also gracefully shared a copy of the film's treatment, which we have included here (albeit we have redacted personal and business information).
ABOUT THE
SERIES
ABOUT THE
SERIES
Headhunter is a cyberpunk action-adventure series that was first released exclusively in Europe on the Sega Dreamcast in 2001. The game would see a 2002 release worldwide on the Playstation 2. A sequel called Headhunter Redemption would see release on Xbox in 2004.
At the time, Sega's position in the gaming market was strained. The Dreamcast would be the last mainstream console they would develop, but in a last-ditch attempt to grab a varied gaming audience Sega commissioned multiple companies to make breakout titles. Most of these developers would be in Europe, one of the Dreamcast's most successful markets. Because of this, Headhunter (along with a few others) saw exclusive release in Europe and not in the US.
The release dates of the game titles sheds an interesting light on the film's development. Initially given a limited run in 2001, and seeing wider release a year later, it seemed Sega wanted to capitalise on the media furore the title had managed to develop. Knowing that a sequel was due out on Xbox the following year, it was likely that the film title was to be released alongside the new game as some form of cross-promotion.
ABOUT THE
SCREENPLAY AND
TREATMENT
ABOUT THE
SCREENPLAY AND
TREATMENT
Sadly Ben was unable to find a copy of the screenplay, though he's sure he completed one. This was just one of several jobs he was working on at the turn of the millennium and such files can be lost in a maze across old hard drives or in some cases lost to drive failures. We don't know which has taken Headhunter's script, but Ben is certain it is on a drive somewhere.
If we get any more information on the screenplay or any elements he may have been given relating to the script we will update this page with more information. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the story treatment provided above. While it is lacking in specifics (essentially giving a brief story outline), it still provides some official information on this long-lost cyberpunk movie that was, until 2020, lost completely to time.
Blue Streak, speeds by... Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) is Hollywood's first big blockbuster attempt to bring Sonic to the big screen. A much more popular effort than the 1996 anime movie, this one sees Sonic come into the "real world", but that doesn't mean that it isn't jam-packed full of Easter Eggs. And some of them are references to other Sega franchises.
First things first - DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. Kung-Fu Master may have the licence for the game, and it may include a few scenes at Arcades, but the story is nothing to do with gaming - and the story it represents is a literal crime. A vile, vile crime. With that out of the way, there are some interesting arcade machines visible throughout this film - all of which are here. So you have been saved from having to watch this vile garbage - and saving you the criminal act of watching it.
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Tron is an undisputed 1982 classic that had a major impact on 80's culture and gaming aesthetics as a whole. And yet, when we reviewed it, it turns out the movie itself is a big bag of style over substance. The main videogame the movie revolves around is Space Paranoids, and it is not a real game. Several videogames were later made of Tron, but none of those appear in this movie.
The Controller / Video Game Earth Force, is a terrible film from 2006 with graphics that make the PS1 look like Advent Children. Starring Bob Rue as William Fence, this film has become infamous within VGMP as it is the film that nearly caused Jamie to leave the show.
Gamebox 1.0 is an odd 2004 movie starring the guy who played Harvey in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. You could technically call it a dramatic horror, if any of it was dramatic or a horror. As you can see from the shot above, the details were so vital to this film that there's a guy at "work" just staring at a blank screen. Regardless of the low budget nature of the film, there are still a surprising number of references hidden in this movie.
