El Paso, Elsewhere, one of Digital Trends’ favorite indie games of 2023, now has a film adaptation in the works.
Variety reports that LaKeith Stanfield — an actor known for his work in films like Judas and the Black Messiah, Knives Out, and Haunted Mansion, as well as TV shows like Atlanta — is going to star in and produce the film. The adaptation is in the works at Di Bonaventure Pictures, the production company behind the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and The Meg film franchises. Little else is known about the film at this time, although we’d presume it will be a fairly direct adaptation of this intense story-driven game.
If you’re unfamiliar with El Paso, Elsewhere, it’s a horror action game inspired by titles like Max Payne. It follows a man named James Savage, who fights his way through the underworld beneath an El Paso motel in an attempt to stop his ex-girlfriend, a vampire named Draculae, from destroying the world. It’s an intensely personal and emotional adventure, as James also has to come to terms with his toxic relationship with Draculae and how he’s relapsed on painkillers during this crusade to stop his ex.
Presumably, Stanfield will play James, who was portrayed in the game by Xalavier Nelson Jr., the developer who wrote El Paso, Elsewhere and founded developer Strange Scaffold. Through El Paso, Elsewhere and the recently released Life Eater, Strange Scaffold has established itself as one of the best horror storytellers working in the video game space right now. It seems Hollywood has finally taken notice of that too in the wake of successful adaptations of games like Fallout.
