Sony Pictures have released a new trailer for Screen Gems’ upcoming Monster Hunter live action movie.
Set to premier December 30th, 2020, the films stars Milla Jovovich as Captain Artemis. As her unit of soldiers are hurled into a world of monsters immune to their firepower, she and Hunter (Tony Jaa) must team up and learn from one another if they hope to survive.
You can find the new trailer and rundown below.
“Behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When an unexpected sandstorm transports Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her unit (TI Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta) to a new world, the soldiers are shocked to discover that this hostile and unknown environment is home to enormous and terrifying monsters immune to their firepower. In their desperate battle for survival, the unit encounters the mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose unique skills allow him to stay one step ahead of the powerful creatures. As Artemis and Hunter slowly build trust, she discovers that he is part of a team led by the Admiral (Ron Perlman). Facing a danger so great it could threaten to destroy their world, the brave warriors combine their unique abilities to band together for the ultimate showdown.”
Past teasers had been criticized for the characters using US army guns rather than the series’ fantastical weapons. The latest trailer shows Jovovich wielding Dual Blades coated in fire however, and Diabolos shrugging off a bazooka to the face.
In an interview with Polygon, director Paul W.S. Anderson explained his passion for the series, and how he strived for the film to be accurate to the games.
Anderson: “I think Capcom knew that I was, having turned their video game into the most successful video game franchise ever, they were getting a good set of hands. But also, a passionate set of hands as well. You know, I was there when Monster Hunter: World came out and sold 15 million copies a year and a half, two years ago, when every Hollywood studio in the world was chasing Monster Hunter because suddenly they’re like, ‘Oh, big sales! Let’s go grab it!’ And they were all very disappointed to discover that I already had the rights to it [laughs]. But I pursued the rights when no one knew about it outside of Japan. I think that passion for their project is something that Capcom really respected. And the closeness of my relationship with the creator of the game – we worked very closely with Capcom on this one, much closer than on any other movie I’ve made. They were very, very involved with it.”
Polygon: “What were those conversations like?”
Anderson: “We talked through the script and what that would contain, what creatures would be in the movie, which landscapes would be in the movie. When we were designing the costumes, we’d send photographs of all of the costumes to Japan and they’d say ‘Well, you know, the, the hunter’s collar should be little smaller.’ ‘You know, the Admirals axe could be a bit bigger.'”
Polygon: “The weapons can always be bigger.”
Anderson: “Everything was run by them and so they got input into absolutely everything. And then in the process of making the movie also, I would fly to Japan with rough cuts of the fight sequences with the creatures, and the actual game animators would comment on the movement of the creatures. ‘The movement of the creature isn’t exactly right here.’ ‘The creature would be a little lower.’ ‘The stance would be slightly different.’ ‘The toenails of the creature are too pointy.’ That was a great note. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, you’re looking at the toenails of the creature?’ I’m looking at Milla because she’s going to get eaten. She’s going to have her head bitten off by the creature, but they cared enough to kind of look at the toenails and what they exactly looked like. So, we took all the notes because we wanted it to be for fans of the game, for us to put these creatures on screen as accurately as possible.”
This is Niche Culture. In this column, we regularly cover anime, geek culture, and things related to video games. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s something you want us to cover!
