Metal Gear Solid movie director trying to develop animated series

We’ve been hearing rumblings of a Metal Gear Solid movie for many, many years. Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been tasked with bringing the espionage story to life but he’s also working on trying to get an animated series greenlit.

Vogt-Roberts revealed this news on Gary Whitta’s Animal Crossing talk show, Animal Talking. The series, which has not been officially greenlit, would bring back David Hayter and the original voice cast for the Metal Gear Solid series. On the subject, he noted that he’s “trying to get an animated series going that brings back David Hayter, that brings back the original voice cast, and doing that in tandem [with the Metal Gear Solid movie].”

Hayter was notably cast out of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and replaced by Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland. This ruffled the feathers of many, including Hayter, and was a poorly received choice made by Hideo Kojima. Hayter still professes his love for the series quite frequently despite this.

Vogt-Roberts’ Metal Gear Solid movie is not dead, though. He wants to do both the series and the live-action film, the problem is fighting to make it as true to Metal Gear Solid as possible.

“I’ve been on that movie for six years and I’ve been fighting every single day to make sure that we translate that movie properly,” Vogt-Roberts said. “This is my baby. I’ve been working on this thing for six years, trying to make it so it is the disruptive, punk-rock, true to Metal Gear, true to Kojima-san spirit version of what this is and I will continue to fight for it every day.”

Vogt-Roberts’ love for the series is clear and the fact he hasn’t left the project so he can continue to fight for it is really admirable.

“It’s a difficult thing. Getting any movie made in Hollywood is hard. Getting something like Metal Gear made where it is so complex is even harder. That’s why I’m trying to make it for a budget where you can do crazy shit, where you can do the Metal Gear version of it, where it isn’t neutered.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also proven to be a challenge for the film.

“I thought I was going to be on set on this movie a year ago,” he said. “COVID has sort of changed everything and we’re figuring out a bunch of stuff… It’s tough getting movies made, especially something where you’re trying to be bold like this. I will fight every single day until I can’t.”

In semi-related news, Metal Gear Solid developer Konami ended up in the crosshairs on a 16-year-old who has been arrested for threatening to blow up their headquarters.

The Metal Gear Solid movie has no release date.