Joe Musashi throwing a kunai at an enemy in a forest in Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master

Sega and Universal Announce Shinobi Movie Helmed by Extraction Director

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Published: October 9, 2024 8:07 AM

Sega and Universal have announced that they're working on a movie based on ninja platformer series Shinobi, and the project has already scored a director and writer.

Per an IGN report, the Shinobi movie will be directed by Extraction helmsman Sam Hargrave, who's also a stuntman himself, although it's not clear whether he'll be providing any stunts for this movie.

Writing duties on the project will be handled by Ken Kobayashi, who's worked as a writer on the likes of Marvel's Hit-Monkey and the Apple TV+ show Sunny.

Joe Musashi crouching next to some boxes in Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
The Shinobi series is getting a movie adaptation.

Right now, details about the project are thin on the ground; we don't know if it'll serve as an adaptation of a particular Shinobi game or base itself on an amalgamation of the series as a whole.

Casting for the movie also hasn't been announced, so we don't know who's playing series lead Joe Musashi (if, indeed, the movie features him as its protagonist; it could just as easily tell the story of Hotsuma, the main character of the 2002 Shinobi reboot).

As announced during the Game Awards last yearShinobi is one of the IPs Sega is planning to revive in the coming years, along with Jet Set RadioGolden AxeStreets of Rage, and Crazy Taxi.

In the case of Crazy Taxi, Sega seems to be reviving it as an open-world game with persistent online multiplayer, but we don't know what's in store for Shinobi just yet.

The player driving recklessly down a street in Crazy Taxi
Shinobi is just one property getting a revival soon, alongside Crazy Taxi and more.

In any case, Shinobi isn't the only property getting itself a movie adaptation soon. TV might be where all the cool kids like The Last of Us and Fallout hang out, but video game-to-movie adaptations are far from dead.

Last month, we got our first look at the upcoming Minecraft movie (although you might wish we hadn't), and the Sonic the Hedgehog movies are still going strong as well, with a third installment due out later this year.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with the Shinobi movie, as well as the upcoming video game revival. Stay tuned for more.


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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for several years, and in those years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph