‘Fool’s Errand.’ Until Dawn Is Not A Direct Adaptation Of The Video Game. Now We Know Why.

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Transforming a video game into a movie or series is unlike adapting novels, short stories, TV shows, stage musicals, or other forms of media. When a game is adapted for the screen, it shifts the audience’s role from active participant to passive observer. This transformation can pose challenges that have led to difficulties, if not outright failures, in some productions. However, screenwriter Gary Dauberman, while writing Until Dawn, was mindful of these potential obstacles and devised a particular approach to overcome them.

Over the past weekend, I sat down for a chat with Dauberman and director David F. Sandberg during the LA press day for ‘Until Dawn’. In our conversation, I started by asking about the process of turning the game into a movie, focusing on Dauberman’s background in Stephen King adaptations like ‘IT’, ‘IT: Chapter Two’, and ‘Salem’s Lot’. Dauberman mentioned that one of the major hurdles he encountered was the original material’s design as an interactive horror movie. A direct adaptation just wouldn’t work because it wasn’t practical. In his own words, the filmmaker explained this challenge.

As a cinephile, I pondered the prospect of adapting Stephen King’s work to the big screen, but decided to veer away from a straightforward interpretation. The game was already so visually captivating and cinematic on its own, and I felt that attempting a direct translation would be an arduous task given the stellar performances and direction it already boasted. Instead, the question became, “How can we approach this if we’re not following the traditional path?” The challenge was to create something unique while still honoring the original spirit of the game.

In creating Until Dawn, video game elements were cleverly integrated – such as limited lives, respawn points, and the objective of surviving until sunrise. However, Gary Dauberman recognized that simply adapting the original story and recasting the main characters (including Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, Brett Dalton, among others) wouldn’t be enough for the movie. Instead, he aimed to create something unique and distinct from the game.

Dr. Alan Hill, who appears in both the game and the film, played by Peter Stormare. Gary Dauberman elaborated on this.

The approach taken was to develop the narrative for the game franchise, with Dr. Hill serving as its public representative. Once I had some free time, I decided we would create a new story, but it would be set within the same world as the original game. This allowed me more creative freedom, and since Blair [Butler], who is also a fan of the game, was co-writing, she shared this goal: to convey the excitement and essence of the game in the movie. As we wrote the script, we kept the game in mind, but the movie wasn’t a direct adaptation; it had its own unique take on the source material.

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2025-04-25 02:07