As we all know, we are in the era of video game adaptations, and even projects which have stalled for well over a decade seem to be picking up some steam. Conversations surrounding an adaptation of the video game series, Just Cause, have swirled around Hollywood since 2010 – with bumps in the road, and little to no progress over time. The pin is finally moving in the right direction as Aaron Rabin is set to write Universal Pictures’ film adaptation of the bestselling video game franchise from Square Enix and Avalanche Studio, according to The Wrap. Fans of the franchise can rest easy as Rabin‘s resume includes credits for Prime Video‘s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and the upcoming action-thriller Nobody 2. Rabin‘s work on Nobody 2 saw him work alongside John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad, Nobody‘s Bob Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem.

Just Cause will mark Rabin‘s first adventure into video game adaptations, but the scribe boasts a significantly strong understanding of delivering on adaptation work, as his work with Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan can attest. Directing the Universal film-adaptation will be Blue Beetle‘s director, Ángel Manuel Soto, who has only just wrapped production on Amazon MGM’s The Wrecking Crew. Universal’s adaptation of Just Cause will see Kelly McCormick and David Leitch serve as producers, with Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg, and Timothy I. Stevenson joining the production team. Dan Jevons will executive produce.

An Era of Video-Game Adaptation Success Stories – A Good Sign for ‘Just Cause’?

Based on the video game series, Just Cause which debuted in 2006, the game series follows the adventures of Latino lead, Rico Rodriguez, an operative for a fictional U.S. covert agency sent to destabilize and overthrow oppressive regimes. A good number of Rico’s scuffles came with the mercenary group known as The Black Hand. As previously mentioned, the development of Just Cause has been in the works for a significant amount of time. In 2017, Brad Peyton was attached to direct and Jason Momoa was set to star as Rico Rodriguez. By 2020, Michael Dowse had taken over for Peyton as director, with relative silence on Momoa‘s involvement.

It has been a long road so far, but Rico Rodriquez might just get his live-action adventure after all. Video game adaptations have begun to sprout up everywhere you look, with Universal Pictures being a significant benefactor. The studio has enjoyed success with the 2023 video game adaptations of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s. Both proved to be incredibly successful, grossing over $1.4 billion and $290 million, respectively, at the global box office. Other success stories like HBO‘s The Last of Us might also lend credence to the suggestion that the time might be right for Rico to gun for liberation.