‘Altered Carbon’ Creator to Adapt ‘Samurai Spirits’ for the Big Screen
Laeta Kalogridis, creator of Altered Carbon, will write a film adaptation of the fighting game Samurai Spirits for Erik Feig's The Arena. The 1993 arcade title has had multiple follow-ups, and The Arena is also developing adaptations of other SNK games including Fatal Fury.
Laeta Kalogridis, who created and ran Netflix’s Altered Carbon, has been tapped to write a movie based on Samurai Spirits for Erik Feig’s The Arena. Her credits include Shutter Island, script development on Avatar, and co-writing Terminator Genisys and Alita: Battle Angel.
The source game is a one-on-one fighter set in feudal Japan that debuted in arcades in 1993 and let combatants fight with weapons or bare-handed. It spawned many sequels, including 2019’s Samurai Shodown. The Arena, financially backed by SNK, is also developing Fatal Fury projects, including a David S. Goyer script, a Geese prequel, and an animated series with Skybound.
The adaptation may affect fans of fighting games and film audiences by bringing a niche SNK property to wider attention, potentially boosting interest in the original titles and related merchandise. It could also influence how studios view game-to-film projects, especially those built around established characters and nostalgia. Creators and rights holders may benefit if the film expands the franchise’s audience, though results depend on execution and reception.