Cyberpunk 2077 Live-Action Adaptation in the Works, CD Projekt Red Confirmed

06.10.2023 - 07:43 / gadgets.ndtv.com / Keanu Reeves / Henry Cavill / Liam Hemsworth / Idris Elba / Adam Kiciński / Projekt Red

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a live-action adaptation, developer CD Projekt Red has announced. The project is being developed in collaboration with Anonymous Content, the independent media company best known for producing Emmy-winning shows like True Detective and Mr. Robot. It's unclear if this take will be a feature-length film or a TV series, but the hunt for a screenwriter has commenced, with plans to tell a brand-new story set in the futuristic neon-lit world, where sex, body modifications, and political chatter are commonplace. The developer also stressed that the adaptation is at an ‘early developmental stage,' so it'll be a while before we receive any further updates.

CD Projekt Red previously dabbled in such passive media by simply using the setting to chart an underdog tale via the Netflix anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which gained critical acclaim and gave the once-tarnished video game a new lease on life. Cyberpunk 2077 suffered a rocky launch period, plagued with game-breaking bugs and crashes, to the point where Sony delisted it from the PS4 digital storefronts. The title has since seen several improvements, thanks to the countless hotfixes and patches, alongside fresh content. An update 2.0 dropped last month, which overhauled the perk system and limited tech augmentations. That was followed by the Phantom Liberty expansion, that put players on a high-stakes espionage mission with a secret agent played by Idris Elba. Keanu Reeves was another contributor to its Hollywood star-power in the main game.

For the live-action adaptation, CD Projekt Red is working directly with Anonymous Content's Head of Television Garret Kemble, Director of Development Ryan Schwartz, and CCO David Levine. The last of them was involved in producing West World, the aforementioned True Detective, and even a few early Game of Thrones seasons. The studio, as a whole, has some impressive projects under its belt, with two Academy Award-winning films: The Revenant and Spotlight. It's not like CD Projekt Red is a stranger to live-action adaptations either, since the Henry Cavill-led The Witcher series instantly soared to popularity, and has now been renewed for a fourth season — albeit, with Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games movies) taking over.

CDPR dropped a ton of updates at its Investor Day presentation, held late Thursday, confirming that Cyberpunk 2077 has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, its Phantom Liberty expansion, which has only been out for 10 days, has already sold 3 million copies. Furthermore, the company CEO Adam Kiciński revealed his plans to step down from the position, as part of a managemental shake-up. He will instead serve in a more supervisory role, starting January 1, 2024, as Chief