Sega's classic arcade racing game, OutRun, is gearing up for an unexpected leap to the big screen, with acclaimed director Michael Bay and actress Sydney Sweeney attached to the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal Pictures has tapped Bay, known for his work on the Transformers franchise, to helm and produce the film. Sweeney, who has risen to fame with her roles in various high-profile projects, will also serve as a producer. The screenplay is being penned by Jayson Rothwell, though plot details remain under wraps, and no release date has been announced yet.
On the Sega front, Toru Nakahara, a key figure in the Sonic movie franchise, will serve as a producer, while Sega America and Europe CEO Shuji Utsumi will oversee the film's development. OutRun, which first hit arcades in 1986, was developed by the legendary Yu Suzuki and has since seen multiple versions and ports. Its last major release was OutRun Online Arcade by Sumo Digital in 2009. While the series has been relatively quiet in recent years, Sega has been actively revisiting its back catalogue, with new titles in the works for Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, Virtua Fighter, and Shinobi.
Sega's efforts to adapt its intellectual properties into films have been successful, most notably with the Sonic movies, which have garnered significant popularity. Additionally, an adaptation of Like a Dragon: Yakuza was released last year on Amazon, further showcasing the demand for video game-based films. Hollywood's appetite for such adaptations is evident, with hits like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the recently released A Minecraft Movie setting new benchmarks at the box office.
As for the potential direction of the OutRun movie, fans and industry insiders speculate that Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney might be envisioning a high-octane, action-packed film in the vein of the Fast & Furious series, capitalizing on Bay's signature style and Sweeney's rising star power.
