Video games, like comic books, have become the grazing pastures for movie executives looking for a prepackaged story to put up on the screen. Studios have converted both the Resident Evil and Tomb Raider video game franchises box office players albeit to mixed results. The logic behind turning games into movies follows sensible enough thinking: video game films benefit from a preset audience of gamers eager to see their favorite console titles turned into full length features. However, the disappointing box office numbers from Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2007) and the Tomb Raider sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (2003) raises the question, ‘What happened to that prepackaged audience?’

Perhaps the best example of where a studio went wrong converting a video game franchise came in 2005 when Universal debuted Doom based on the classic first person shooter where players blasted their way through a demon infested Hell. The game offered very little of what the diehard fans wanted to see; paying but a few minutes of comical lip service to the actual game with a two-minute sequence imitating the franchise’s classic gameplay. After all these franchises have failed to cash in on their theoretical prepackaged market, can Hitman (2007) follow through? Will director Xavier Gens understand the factors behind the game that made it such a hit with fans?

The promotional clips for Hitman feature high-octane explosions, dynamic gunfights, and non-stop adrenaline - sadly this misses the premise of Hitman entirely. The secret behind Hitman’s success doesn’t come from the story, the weapons, or even the semi-evil protagonist saving the day. Hitman found fans by creating dynamic levels where players must find the stealthiest means of accomplishing a set list of goals. Often the best, though convoluted, route to success requires the player to wait patiently for just the right moment to perform an act of brutal violence. Twentieth Century Fox has marketed Hitman as an action flick for the holiday season and consequently, they risk falling into the same trap that befell Doom, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and even Super Mario Brothers (1993): never betray the fans.

In their favor, Timothy Olyphant certainly fits the bill as the merciless, rough and ready persona needed for Hitman’s protagonist 47. As Olyphant played rather amoral characters in both The Girl Next Door (2004) and Live Free or Die Hard, audiences are already primed to see the actor performing vicious acts for his own gain. Whether or not Timothy Olyphant can mix his amoral acting quality with an ice-cold personality could be a deciding factor as to whether or not Hitman fans will add the film to the franchise’s story canon. Additionally, the lighting style chosen by Xavier Gens seems to be an almost perfect match to the franchise. With that said, the film may feel very much like a live-action Hitman video game but will it play out the same way? The fans eagerly await an answer.

No one knows and cares about a franchise as much as the fans. When studios ditch a game’s formula in favor of blockbuster devices problems arise. Without explosions the Hitman could still be the brutally violent and exciting franchise that pleases both studios and fans - but if they sacrifice too much and take the film too far away from the source material, the studio may find themselves staring into the faces of many, many angry fans. That prepackaged audience is sitting patiently waiting for a film to accompany their gaming experience - will Twentieth Century Fox deliver a Hitman that kills according to expectations?