Sydney Sweeney and directort Michael Bay are teaming up to bring Sega’s classic 1986 video game OutRun to the big screen. OutRun is the game that involved a red Ferrari, synth-laced soundtrack, and palm-tree-lined highways, and it’s racing toward an adaptation at Universal Pictures.
Bay is officially set to direct and produce alongside Brad Fuller under their Platinum Dunes banner as part of their first-look deal with Universal. Sweeney will also produce the project.
While details about the plot are being kept quiet, we do know the script is coming from Jayson Rothwell, whose previous work includes Polar and Arachnid.
On the Sega side, Toru Nakahara, who’s been the go-to producer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movies and the upcoming Golden Axe adaptation, is also producing. Sega Corporation’s president and COO Shuji Utsumi is overseeing the project on behalf of the company.
For those not familiar with OutRun, the original arcade game is a radical stylish blend of fast cars, roads, and sun-drenched aesthetics that helped birth the entire OutRun synthwave genre. It remains one of Sega’s most beloved and recognizable franchises. I loved playing this game when I was a kid!
Universal is clearly still riding high off its video game success stories. With The Super Mario Bros. Movie raking in over $1.4 billion and Five Nights at Freddy’s pulling in $290 million worldwide, they’re not slowing down on game-to-screen projects anytime soon.
OutRun might not have the IP weight of Mario, but with Bay and Sweeney involved, it’s definitely going to be interesting. Whether this turns into a wild synth-soaked action road trip or a high-octane fever dream remains to be seen.
