CD Projekt Red’s live-action Cyberpunk movie will introduce a new story set in the game’s world, not reproduce the game’s plot. V therefore seems unlikely to be its central character, although the studio hasn’t announced who will appear.
“At this point, we can only say that we definitely don’t want to make a film adaptation of the game,” CD Projekt Red CEO Michał Nowakowski told Polish outlet PAP Biznes. “We want to tell a story in the world of Cyberpunk, but it won’t be a one-to-one translation of the game’s story.”
The movie was recently announced as a live-action project through Paramount Pictures. Its connection to Cyberpunk 2077 will come from the setting, rather than a shortened version of the game’s script. The filmmakers can explore more of that universe without having to fit the existing narrative into a film.
[IMAGE:static0.polygonimages.com screenshot from CD Projekt Red’s game, Cyberpunk 2077. It shows Johnny Silverhand, Keanu Reeves, with his leg up on a table.]Little has been disclosed about the cast or the team making the film. Earlier reporting links producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to the project. At Paramount Pictures, he’s also working alongside Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay on a new live-action Transformers film. He previously served as an executive producer on two video game adaptations: 2015’s Dead Rising: Watchtower and 2019’s Doom: Annihilation.
An original narrative within the same setting isn’t new territory for CD Projekt Red. For Netflix’s animated Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, it worked with Studio Trigger, the Japanese studio responsible for Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia, on a separate tale in Cyberpunk 2077’s world. The series was directed by Trigger co-founder Hiroyuki Imaishi. CDPR franchise creative director Bartosz Sztybor shared screenplay duties with Masahiko Otsuka and Yoshiki Usa. A second season returns on Oct. 20.
In Polygon’s assessment, Edgerunners is an excellent story on its own and also helped restore the game’s reputation. Years of hype led to millions of Cyberpunk 2077 sales, but a disastrous launch on consoles, coupled with many problems on PC, hurt CD Projekt Red’s standing.
When Edgerunners debuted in 2022, widespread praise renewed interest in the game. By then, years of revisions and bug fixes had substantially changed it. A film could draw players back in the same way.
With so little known about the characters or casting, it’s still unclear who will lead the story.
