No Remake, but Bloodborne Lives Again as an R-Rated Film

Eleven years of begging for a remake, a remaster, a PC port, a sequel, anything, and what Bloodborne fans get is a movie. I know that sounds like a backhanded way to frame this, but hear me out: this one actually sounds like it could work.

Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, announced the Bloodborne animated film during CinemaCon in Las Vegas, as reported by Variety. It'll be R-rated, which is non-negotiable for anything bearing Bloodborne's name, and Panitch described the project as staying "very true" to the gory spirit of the source material. Sony Pictures is releasing the film, co-financed by Lyrical Media, with PlayStation Productions and Lyrical Animation also co-producing. The surprise name on the credits is Seán McLoughlin, better known as JackSepticEye, who has over 31 million YouTube subscribers and has called Bloodborne his favourite game for years. His playthrough alone pulled nearly five million viewers. Posting on the Bloodborne subreddit, McLoughlin said he's "incredibly excited" and promised to "do everything in my power to make this the BEST Bloodborne adaptation possible."

Look, I get why some fans will read this and feel deflated. A movie is not a 60fps remaster. It's not the PC port that seems increasingly unlikely given Sony's reported pullback on porting exclusives. But an R-rated animated Bloodborne film with someone who clearly loves the game involved in production? That's a better starting point than most video game adaptations get. And the timing is interesting: we're in a moment where smaller, weirder game-to-film projects are actually landing. The Exit 8, a film based on a solo-developed indie horror game, just opened to a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. If a movie about an infinite Japanese subway corridor can work, Yharnam's blood-soaked nightmare has plenty to draw from.

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No release date has been announced for the Bloodborne film. Lyrical Animation is also working on a Death Stranding adaptation, so Sony's animation pipeline is filling up fast.