Isabela Merced To Lead “House of the Dead”

Isabela Merced (“Superman,” “The Last of Us”) has been set at the lead of a new game-to-film adaptation based on the SEGA game franchise “House of the Dead” reports Deadline.

“Resident Evil” franchise director Paul W.S. Anderson will direct the film based on the 1997 horror shooter game, which was one of the earliest works to turn zombies into fast-running creatures.

In the arcade game, players take on the role of AMS agents, a government agency tasked with thwarting the efforts of organisations that threaten the world.

The trade says the film is “a top Sega priority” following the success of “Sonic the Hedgehog” with plans to make it as “immersive as possible” and with a story that plays out in real-time.

Anderson says in a statement: “The House of the Dead is a game I have loved for many years, and I’m beyond thrilled to be bringing this to the big screen with such an exciting talent as Isabela at its heart. We envisage this as the start of a tentpole franchise which can explore the rich world and lore that Sega has created over a whole series of films.”

Anderson will produce alongside Jeremy Bolt, Toru Nakahara, Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg and Timothy I. Stevenson.

A 2003 film version of the video game was created by filmmaker Uwe Boll and was widely panned.