New Fear Effect game and movie on the way

A new film based on PSone series Fear Effect is currently in the pipeline - and a third instalment in the videogame series is rumoured to be coming, too.

Infamous movie director Uwe Boll optioned the rights to Fear Effect more than two years ago, but the Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Stanley Tong is in line to direct the film.

Tong is best known for directing Jackie Chan films Supercop, First Strike and Rumble in the Bronx, plus Leslie Nielsen vehicle Mr Magoo. Set ten years in the future, the Fear Effect movie will follow the adventures of a team of mercenaries tasked with locating the daughter of a billionaire industrialist and fighting off hordes of demons.

Producer Mark A. Altman said the film will stay faithful to the original game, describing it as "Mission: Impossible meets Silent Hill." The movie will be shot in a variety of locations, including Shanghai and Hong Kong, and the budget is around USD 20 million - USD 25 million. It's due to hit cinemas in late 2007, or possibly early 2008.

The Hollywood Reporter also claims that a new Fear Effect game is in development for next-gen consoles. Eidos initially announced that a third instalment was on the way several years ago, but the project was later canned. Eidos was not available for comment at the time of writing.