Sega and Universal Pictures announce movie adaptation of Shinobi  

Sega and Universal Pictures just announced that they are working on a Shinobi movie adaptation. The movie will be directed by Sam Hargrave, who helmed the first two films in Netflix’s Extraction series, with a screenplay by Ken Kobayashi.  

Beginning as a side-scroller in the arcades way back in 1987, Shinobi is a series of hack and slash video games, often featuring ninja character Joe Musashi. In the late 80s and early 90s, Shinobi was a recognizable flagship IP of Sega’s, however with the series’ previous release being in 2011- Shinobi has become less visible lately (perhaps ironically for a ninja game). Following in the footsteps of the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, it seems like Sega’s latest film project will aim to bring Shinobi back into the spotlight. 

Fans can expect a new Shinobi game too. In December 2023, Sega revealed that they are currently developing a new title in the franchise- although more detailed information has yet to be disclosed. 

Video game movies are making a bit of a comeback lately with Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023) becoming the highest-earning video game adaptation in history. It is getting a sequel, due out in 2026. Legendary Pictures is working on a new live-action movie of Capcom’s Street Fighter (and surprisingly, the 1994 Street Fighter film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme is still a moneymaker to this day).