'Backrooms' Director's Next Movie Could Adapt a Sci-Fi Masterpiece

Could another major video game receive a film adaptation? As popular gaming IPs continue to inspire Hollywood, more and more titles that people grew up playing are being transformed into big-screen experiences, with many earning praise from audiences and critics alike. Now, another title could receive the same treatment.

Of all the movies released this year, nearly 10 are based on video games, with the next being The Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for release in December 2026. Meanwhile, fans await Nintendo's live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link, Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda, and Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf. And it's not just movies. TV shows have also continued to attract gaming audiences, with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 being one of the most recent releases. What was once considered a massive risk with little reward has evolved into studios putting more effort into capturing the essence of the original games. Video game adaptations now seem to be Hollywood's go-to strategy for success.

Of all the major video game titles released over the years, some have yet to receive adaptations. One of them was Portal, developed by Valve, the company behind the digital video game marketplace Steam. Recently, however, there have been hints that the game could make its way to the big screen. During an interview on The Kyle Buchanan Show, Backrooms director Kane Parsons was asked about his visit to Valve's offices and whether he would direct his "dream project." This is what he had to say:

"They work in experiments, and I like that, because that tends to be how I work. I don't have a desire to sensationalize anything I may or may not be talking to them about over there, because it's mainly: Is it possible to make something compelling in some way that we like? What do you guys want to do? What do I want to do? Is there anything on the table in any way, shape, or form? And if it's not, I would defend a future where we don't even go down that road, but it's more like having an abstract creative conversation that could flow in like 30 different directions. If you know the way Valve works, I think they're looking to experiment more internally than anything that's going to be talked about. If something cool comes of it, I am sure somehow, people will know."

Before Parsons expressed interest in directing a Portal movie, a film adaptation was already in development, but the project had since fallen into development hell. In 2013, it was announced that J.J. Abrams was working on the adaptation. The most recent update came in 2021, when it was reported that the project was still in development, with a script being worked on. However, few details have emerged since then, and no cast or plot details have been announced. Additionally, just like Backrooms, Parsons has already made a Portal animation video called "Portal - Welcome to the Enrichment Center [Animation]". It was published on Parson's Kane Pixel's YouTube channel in 2021 and has over 737,000 views and over 39K likes at the time of writing, where the filmmaker paid tribute to the game that made a huge impact on his "creative style."

What's 'Portal' About?

Portal is a 2007 first-person puzzle game in which players solve a series of puzzles using a "portal gun" that allows them to travel between locations through portals. The franchise has two installments, with Portal 2 recieving widespread praise since its 2011 release, earning a Metacritic score of 95 on the PC version and winning multiple awards. Both games feature a silent protagonist named Chell, who faces an artificial intelligence system named GLaDOS, which has a vendetta against her.