Raging.

Following the news that Sony Pictures and Nintendo are apparently close to signing a deal to make a new Super Mario movie, it has been revealed that Sega is also looking to exploit its portfolio of famous gaming properties in the field of film and television.

As reported by Variety, media executive Evan Cholfin — who has worked with Steven Zaillian and David Fincher in the past — has been installed as head of development and production at Tokyo-based Stories International. The company was founded in 2011 as a joint venture between Sega and Hakuhodo DY Group, the world’s seventh-largest advertising agency. The firm's aim is to create films, TV shows and entertainment for digital platforms.

Altered Beast, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, Rise of Nightmares and Crazy Taxi are apparently in the running as the first English-language live action and animated spin-offs to be created as part of the new push.

Stories president and CEO Tomoya Suzuki clearly sees Cholfin's appointment as a major turning point, and has a grand vision for Sega's properties on the silver — and small — screen:

With his impeccable taste and experience developing and producing entertainment in nearly every format imaginable, Evan is the unique executive to revitalize and canonize our partners’ brands by working with Hollywood to create stories that will last for centuries.

Video game movies have been something of a running joke in Hollywood for years, with high-profile failures like Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter and Dead or Alive denting confidence in the idea of turning interactive entertainment into passive entertainment. However, there have been commercial successes in-between the embarrassing flops, with Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and The Need for Speed all performing well at the box office.

Could Sega's own properties pull the same trick, or do you think the whole venture is destined to bomb? Let us know by posting a comment below.

[source variety.com]