The Gears of War franchise just got revved up. Netflix recently announced both a film and animated adaptation of the prolific series coming soon to their platform. It'll mark the first significant adaptation of the Gears of War series beyond the books that center around the world's lore. The games themselves have been around since the early days of the Xbox 360, serving as the console's flagship series alongside Halo with five mainline entries and two spinoffs.
Gears of War takes place on the planet Sera, a futuristic stand-in for Earth. After a horrible event known as Emergence Day, wherein a race of reptilian monsters called the Locust burrowed up from underneath the planet's surface, the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) fights to save humanity from the violent horde. It's a prime setting for a film adaptation, but what needs to be done right? Here are a few examples.
Gears of War Is Gritty and Gruesome
Any fan of the Gears of War series knows that, throughout the games, there's been a constant theme: brutality. From the monstrous Locust hordes to the comical chainsaw bayonet strapped to every standard-issue Lancer rifle, the Gears of War universe is the farthest thing from pleasant. It's a barren, war-torn world of constant warfare and untold misery, shattered by humanity's attempts to drive back the Locust.
The action in the games themselves reflects this. The signature weapon of the series, the Lancer, can be used as a chainsaw to tear Locust soldiers in half. The towering monsters that the Locust employ, from the tank-like Brumaks to the eight-legged Corpsers, are often dealt with in grisly set pieces. The Locust themselves do just the same -- one scene from the second game even features a Locust grunt ripping the arm off of a COG soldier and beating him with it.
Moments like that -- among the few times the series reels back and lets the setting breathe -- encapsulate what made Gears of War so popular among its fans. But there's more than just violence that people fell in love with.
The Game's Lovable Characters
Despite the stigma of the "brown tough-guy cover shooter" genre that Gears of War eventually spawned, fans of the series fell in love with its colorful cast of characters. Nailing this aspect of the film would be essential in pleasing both die-hard fans and casual moviegoers.
You have the typical tragic hero of Marcus Fenix -- a soldier who, after an unauthorized mission to rescue his father, was imprisoned for treason. However, he is enlisted by the COG once more in a last-ditch effort to defeat the Locust. He is a short-tempered man with a virulent hatred of the Locust, but underneath his tough exterior is a man who deeply values the lives of his fellow soldiers. Dominic "Dom" Santiago serves as Fenix's best friend: a loyal, empathetic counterpart to Fenix's fury who continually searches for his missing wife.
Fenix, being the central protagonist, has to be perfect. Who else would be better to play him than someone who has been deeply entwined with the series since its inception: Dave Bautista. Since the initial announcement, Bautista has voiced interest in joining the film's production. He already bears a striking resemblance to Fenix, and the game's original creator has also voiced his approval of the casting. Seeing as how Bautista even made an appearance in the games themselves, it'd really be a no-brainer. It'd be just as perfect as Henry Cavill's casting for The Witcher.
Joining Fenix are a handful of supporting characters, each one offering a unique personality to contrast against Fenix's cold demeanor: the cocky tinkerer Damon Baird, who frequently quips about the dire circumstances he finds himself in; the former football player Augustus "Cole Train" Cole, a boisterous man with a genuine passion for killing the Locust; and the Carmines, a family of soldiers who, despite their naive ambitions, tend to die in comically unexpected ways. The casting for all these characters needs to be on point.
Gears of War's Interesting Lore
In addition to having compelling characters, a surprising aspect of the Gears of War series is the lore that the games tend to gloss over. Behind the carnage and muscled brutes is a compelling science-fiction story in much the same vein as Halo. While games have to focus on the player's fun first and foremost, a film can take the time to explore some neglected aspects of the Gears of War universe. The series' lore matters, as it dictates the interactions between members of the COG and those affected by the organization's actions.
The COG isn't exactly a pious organization. Before the events of Emergence Day, a war between the COG and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR) was waged for total control of the planet's resources, including a miracle energy source known as "imulsion." The war led to the deaths of millions, the destruction of the planet's natural environment, and the theft of the Hammer of Dawn -- an orbital laser system that would subsequently be used against the Locust. Because of this, the relationship between the COG and the "Stranded" civilians is strained, to say the least.
Conversely, the Locust are more than just monsters. They have their own society comprised of a matriarchal monarchy that divides each of its members into individual classes. They worship worms, enslave people, and do just about everything a warfare society needs to function. Not to mention that their entire existence stems from a shocking -- if not a little predictable -- plot reveal.
Details are still to be announced regarding the film and animated series. Let's hope that Gears of War will be given a proper, bloody treatment.