Shinobi slices its way to film in deal with Universal Pictures and director Sam Hargrave

Sega announced that its Shinobi game franchise will get the film treatment in a movie deal with Universal Pictures and director Sam Hargrave.

Hargrave, director on the Extraction franchise, will direct an an adaptation of Sega’s franchise, Shinobi, with Ken Kobayashi (Sunny, Move On) adapting the screenplay. It’s part of Hollywood’s continuing bond with games in the modern era.

Marc Platt and Adam Siegel will produce the film through Marc Platt Productions. Dmitri M. Johnson will produce through Story Kitchen. Toru Nakahara will produce through Sega. And Mike Goldberg of Story Kitchen will executive produce alongside Timothy I. Stevenson, who is co-producing. (Johnson will be a speaker at our upcoming event GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood & Games).

The Shinobi game series first debuted in 1987 as an arcade game and primarily follows protagonist Joe Musashi as a modern-day ninja who confronts great evil.

Crafted with a focus on epic and edgy action, the Shinobi franchise spans 14 games, including spinoffs, and ports, with five million copies sold worldwide. A new entry in the series was revealed in late 2023.

Shinobi follows Universal Pictures’ 2023 video game adaptation success with The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s which grossed over $1.4 billion and $290 million, respectively, in the global box office.

Led by Shuji Utsumi (President and COO), Sega has been rapidly adapting its intellectual property across new media with Toru Nakahara (head of entertainment production, film, and television) overseeing the expansion into film and television as a recent producer for SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1 & 2, SONIC PRIME and GOLDEN AXE.