Hollywood is taking another crack at bringing Duke Nukem to the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary has secured the film rights to the long-running video game series from Gearbox. After years of false starts, the studio is hoping to finally give the title character his own movie with Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg onboard as producers.
The first Duke Nukem game was developed by Apogee Software (now 3D Realms) and released in 1991. Designed as a riff on action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood, the title character was presented as the ultimate he-man, often seen chomping on a cigar as he gunned down bad guys (usually aliens) and surrounded himself with beautiful women. And of course, he borrowed a number of catchphrases from ‘80s blockbusters like Army of Darkness and They Live.
So far, Duke has headlined 19 of his own video games. The most recent installment, Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour, hit stores in 2016.
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The next order of business is for Legendary to find a writer for the project. No director is currently set either. Regardless, the door is reportedly “open” for Heald, Hurwitz, or Schlossberg to take the job. Heald’s only directing credits are eight episodes of Cobra Kai. But Hurwitz and Schlossberg have more experience directing features, having previously helmed comedies like American Reunion and the last two Harold & Kumar films.
Paramount was the last studio that tried to get a Duke Nukem adaptation off the ground. In 2018, the studio even began talks with John Cena to star. But by the following year, this iteration of the movie had fallen apart. Legendary is also producing the new version with Marla Studios’ Jean Julien Baronnet, who last produced 2016’s Assassin’s Creed movie. Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg will produce through their Counterbalance Entertainment banner.
What are your hopes for a Duke Nukem movie? Who would you cast as the title character? Let us know your picks in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Duke Nukem Forever Limited Edition
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