Karl Urban is currently involved with one video game adaptation, as he’s set to portray Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat II film. But if he had his druthers, there’s another video game adaptation yet to be made that would feature him in a starring role: Red Dead Redemption.
Karl Urban Wants to Play John Marston in Red Dead Adaptation
Right now, there is no Red Dead Redemption adaptation, which is a pretty big surprise. It is still extremely popular in the heyday of video game adaptations, so the fact that some studio hasn’t bought the rights is a little shocking. It would be an immensely popular show or movie.
It’s clear why that is. Rockstar is protective of its IP, which is why Grand Theft Auto hasn’t been adapted yet, either. But Nintendo is wickedly protective of its IP, and Mario and Zelda are both getting the film treatment with plenty more to come. Still, it’s highly unlikely.
“Why would we do this?” Rockstar leads said when asked about a GTA movie. “What you’ve described is you making a movie and us having no control and taking a huge risk, that we’re going to end up paying for with something that belongs to us.”
“They thought we’d be blinded by the lights, and that just wasn’t the case. We had what we considered to be multi-billion-dollar IP, and the economics never made sense. The risk never made sense. In those days, the perception was that games made poor-quality movies,” they finished. So while nothing with Rockstar IP is happening now, it could still one day, and if so, Karl Urban wants to be involved.
While speaking to Square Mile, Urban said, “‘Red Dead Redemption’ is one of my favourites. ‘Red Dead’ is a fantastic game. It’s interesting because I didn’t really have too much of an opportunity to get that heavily invested in the gaming culture. Although I absolutely enjoy the opportunity to indulge in that kind of escapism, when gaming consoles came out in 1994, I was an unemployed actor living in Sydney. I couldn’t afford those consoles.”
Urban has experience in both film and television. Arguably, he is now most known for playing Billy Butcher on The Boys and not his many character roles in movies. Since Red Dead Redemption is two very lengthy games, if there ever is an adaptation, it should probably be a television show. Fortunately, that’s obviously right up Urban’s alley.
“By the time I could, I was so busy working on various projects around the world that I was never able to get into it. From time to time, when I did get the rare opportunity, Red Dead was certainly one of the games that spoke to me,” Karl Urban added.
As for who he’d like to play, Urban said enthusiastically, “I mean, come on, John Marston! I’d love to play that character.” That leaves the immortal Arthur Morgan as an option, too, which is a good thing. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has expressed interest in portraying him in an adaptation, so if anyone does set out to make a movie or show, they’ve got two actors interested in the two most important roles.
Conclusion
If there ever is a Red Dead Redemption movie or television show, which seems extremely unlikely but isn’t totally impossible, we may have our John Marston already. Karl Urban knows a thing or two about video game adaptations, and he’s a huge fan of the game series who has expressed interest in portraying John Marston. If that doesn’t sweeten the pot, we don’t know what will.
