He's been back on our screens recently, reuniting with writer/director Jeymes Samuel for Biblical comedy drama The Book Of Clarence, but LaKeith Stanfield has his eye on something quite different. He's now joining forces with Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to develop and potentially star in a film adaptation of neo-noir vampire video game El Paso, Elsewhere.
The game, developed and published by Strange Scaffold in September last year, has become a success, and takes its inspiration from the Max Payne games, with retro graphics. It follows a vampire hunter tasked with stopping his ex-girlfriend's (a vampire! Sound the irony klaxon!) evil schemes.
You want an official logline for the movie version? Step right up: "Recovering from a toxic relationship, James Savage (Stanfield) confronts both his inner demons and enigmatic ex-girlfriend, Janet, before she executes a world-ending ritual. James navigates her reality-bending universe of ethereal monsters while facing the truth of his own addictions and skewed sense of self-worth. James learns that the only route to love is through healing…"
Our usual caution here: this one is being taken out to studios and streamers as a package, with Stanfield looking to produce as well as star, but no other creatives involved yet. It certainly appears enticing, and is bolstered by the fact that video games are truly having A Moment right now on screens big and small.