'Watchmen' director Zack Snyder signs 3-game deal with Electronic Arts

Zack Snyder, the director of "300," "Dawn of the Dead" and the upcoming "Watchmen" films, has agreed to help develop three games for Electronic Arts. The deal, to be announced this morning, includes the option to turn original game franchises created during the collaboration into movies that would be controlled by Snyder's production company, Cruel & Unusual Films.

Snyder is the second Hollywood director to sign on with EA to make games. Steven Spielberg also agreed to a three-game contract. The first fruit of that partnership, "Boom Blox," was released in May and sold more than 450,000 units.

At 42, Snyder is among a new generation of Hollywood elite who grew up with video games. So it's inevitable that some see creative cross-fertilization between the two art forms. Another director, Gore Verbinski, said earlier this year that he was exploring an undisclosed game project. In the meantime, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" director has agreed to direct the movie adaptation of the sci-fi shooter game "BioShock."

"I think video games are cool because they offer an opportunity to tell a story in an entirely unique way," Snyder said in a statement.

-- Alex Pham

Photo: Zack Snyder. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[George Byron Jr.]

Zack Snyder is the most overrated director in Hollywood

[AmbroseKalifornia]

Heh. Every time I click a Technology link from the main page, it's always Alex Pham.

If Gore Vebinski can make a good move from a slow boat ride he should be able to do something amazing with BioShock. But movie directors never seem to remember that video games are scary because WE are the ones in danger, not just the on-screen protagonists. I remember sweaty palms of terror from Mega Man for the NES! And that game wasn't nearly as creepy as BioShock. It's the thrill of being there. That why Resident Evil: The Game is a classic and Resident Evil: The Movie is a classic excuse to see Milla Jovovich in a skimpy red dress.