Paul Verhoeven To Adapt A Video Game?

MTV and /Film are positing, based on MTV's recent interview with the director, that Paul Verhoeven's next film will be an adaptation of Jordan Mechner's classic video game The Last Express (1997). Now the details are actually much sketchier then that. Apparently all Verhoeven said was that his next project would take place in 1914, combine the tone of Indiana Jones and Alfred Hitchcock and that the narrative of the film came from a video game. But based on those details, The Last Express is a very strong possibility. 

The original game was written and directed by Jordan Mechner, who was responsible for the original Prince of Persia games, and sported a ridiculously clever game conceit that placed the gamer in an almost real-time environment on a train (time is accelerated by a factor of six) where a mystery narrative plays out. The coolest feature is that events occur throughout the train, whether the gamer is there to witness them or not, making the experience feel all the more contingent, rather then scripted. 

However, considering Verhoeven has five "next projects" since Black Book, including Jesus of Nazareth and a remake of Topkapi (which is going to be retitled The Thomas Crown Affair 2), I'm not holding my breath for this film to actually see the light of day any time soon, but it is pretty cool to hear of interest to adapt a video game that had a genuinely great story, and not just one that made millions of dollars (The Last Express was a flop on its release). 

Lets just hope for new Paul Verhoeven film and soon. (And not from the other Paul Verhoeven - his film actually played the Cannes Market last year and fooled a bunch of sales agents into thinking it was a new "Verhoeven" film.) 

Thanks to Dane for pointing me too the article.