'Atlas' Is Not Based on 'Titanfall' — But Fans Noticed the Similarities
"The shape of mine was different. The movement was different. I wanted this to be its own thing," director Brad Peyton said.
Published May 29 2024, 5:47 p.m. ET
Gamers have been well-fed lately, between some of the fantastic new releases alongside the well-done adaptations like The Last of Us and Fallout. There are a handful of other popular games already in the pipeline to get adaptations, like Borderlands and The Legend of Zelda, and with studios looking to games as inspiration for upcoming projects, so many fans are getting to see their faves make it to the big screen.
But while video game adaptations are on the rise, not every franchise is currently slated for a film or television show. When gamers saw the first trailer for Atlas, starring Jennifer Lopez, some wondered if they'd missed the announcement that Titanfall was added to the roster of franchises being adapted. But is Atlas actually based on the Titanfall games?
'Titanfall' fans didn't take long to clock the similarities in the 'Atlas' trailer.
Fans of the popular shooter franchise immediately noted the stark similarities between the two. The mech suits were the first thing fans clocked, and though they're not necessarily exact replicas of those in the games, their similarities were evident.
Unfortunately, the film's director, Brad Peyton, confirmed to Total Film it's not directly connected to Titanfall. Though he noted the first-person shooter was a source of inspiration, Brad claimed he wanted his film to do something "different."
"Science-fiction is something I've been passionate about since I was a kid," he told the outlet. "To me, science-fiction is hallowed ground. And because of that, I don't want to retread what's been done well before. So that was Avatar, Aliens... Titanfall, a few other old movies I loved from the 80s – and then to make sure the scale of mine was different. The shape of mine was different. The movement was different. I wanted this to be its own thing."
"I don’t know if the writers played Titanfall, but the VFX people definitely did," Reddit user tobascodagama said of the trailer.
Add to this the small fact that in the first Titanfall game, the developer of the titans was a company named Atlas, and it's not a mystery why fans were quick to put two and two together.
Is there a 'Titanfall' film in the works?
Unfortunately, at this time, there is not a film based on the Titanfall video games in the works — though the eventual possibility shouldn't be ruled out. Within the first week of Atlas's release, the film already has a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting that even as a film independent of the video game franchise, it didn't hit the mark with viewers.
That said, with other shooters like Borderlands getting adaptations, it's possible Titanfall will see its turn to make it to the silver screen — once the fallout of Atlas has died out. Neither EA or Respawn has publicly commented on a potential adaptation, but considering the excitement fans had as soon as they thought Atlas was connected to the franchise proves there's plenty of interest should the developers decide to explore it.
