‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie is Officially Happening

After years of false starts and dashed hopes, it would appear that a 'Metal Gear Solid' movie is finally ready to come together, courtesy of 'Amazing Spider-Man' producer Avi Arad. Whether or not there is reason to get excited will depend on how cynical you are.

Via Kotaku we learn that Japanese video game developer Konami announced the film project at a 'Metal Gear Solid' Anniversary event in Tokyo. Banners were unfurled that read 'Metal Gear Solid Hollywood Movie,' while the game's creator/Konami bigshot Hideo Kojima and Arad briefly talked up their vision for the movie, which will be made at Columbia Pictures.

In an attempt to convince the crowd (The world? Himself?...) that a good video game-to-silver screen adaptation is still possible, Arad reminded everyone that there was a time when it was tough getting comic book movies off the ground.

For many years I fought to bring comics to theaters. Comic books are now biggest genre in cinema. Video games are the comic books of today. We will take our time and tell the story with all the nuances, ideology, cautionary tales needed.

Here are some cautionary tales: 'Street Fighter,' 'Doom,' 'Hitman,' 'Max Payne,' 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,' any Uwe Boll movie. You know the list. It could even be argued that the most successful adaptation, 'Resident Evil,' has never truly been faithful to its source material, so naturally there's more than enough skepticism to go around regarding 'Metal Gear Solid's' chances.

The fact that Kojima will be involved in bringing Solid Snake to life might ease a few concerns, although no one will begin to breath any easier until a director is chosen. We're not sure how far along the project is, but one can assume that it'll be quite some time before it goes before cameras.

How are you feeling about this announcement? Is there hope for a quality 'Metal Gear Solid' film?