‘Mass Effect’ Movie Gets A New Writer

The Mass Effect movie is getting a new writer in Morgan Davis Foehl, Variety reports.

Foehl was the former assistant editor on the Denis Leary drama series Rescue Me and the Adam Sandler comedies I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Click. However, none of his scripts have yet to make it to the screen.

Producers said Foehl is a Mass Effect fan and has written material similar to the overall plot of the best-selling games. He wrote a script for Alien Sleeper Cell for District 9 producer Bill Block. That script, apparently, blends alien invasions with influences from Matt Damon’s Bourne series.

Foehl is also adapting Top Cow’s comic Crosshair, which follows a suburban father who has been programmed by the CIA to assassinate the president. With that in mind, Foehl does seem to have a handle on the basic espionage aspects that would be required by a Mass Effect film.

Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, Thor, Jurassic Park IV) took a shot at writing the first version of the script after Legendary Entertainment picked up the rights to the project in 2008. He and the studio couldn’t agree on a script, as Protosevich said the script would honor the series and not feature an entirely different story. What will happen to Protosevich’s treatment of the script now that Foehl is taking over is unclear.

The Mass Effect film will be produced through Avi Arad Productions, which is also behind film adaptations of Uncharted, Twisted Metal, Metal Gear Solid, and Infamous. Thomas Tull (The Dark Knight) will act as producer. No date has been set for the film yet.