‘Hotline Miami’ may become a movie, but it needs your help

One of the more bloody and brutal games in the last few years may be getting a live action treatment, assuming it can raise $50,000 in the next 30 days. To bring the proposed movie to life, filmmaker Saman Kesh has launched an Indiegogo campaign that will try to raise the money by September 27.

Kesh’s plan is to film Hotline Miami as a short film, which is being described as a “period piece that showcases the best of the ‘80s stylistically.” The filmmakers also claim that they intend to stay true to the personality of the game created by Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin. Although the creators of the game won’t be directly involved with the film, they have given their blessing according to reps for the campaign. 

“This isn’t going to be a fan-film, but rather, a short film designed for old and new fans alike,” the campaign claims.

The game Hotline Miami is the deranged story of two characters: “Jacket,” a man so named due to his bloody letterman jacket, and “Biker,” so known for his motorcycle helmet. They both engage in mostly divergent rampages that begin when they start receiving messages assigning them targets to kill – typically mobsters. The game then goes on to question the sanity of the protagonists.

The campaign states that the film will use the hotline itself as the primary narrative device. The idea would be that the hotline is a service that people can call to submit a target, and then the service would find the correct hitman for the job.  

“Imagine a short tale that intersects the mood of Pulp Fiction with the mystery of Memento, with a delicious slice of Miami Vice for good measure,” the description reads.

As with most crowdfunded campaigns, the amount you give will determine the reward you receive. Those rewards range from a digital copy of the script to a mention in the film to an executive producer credit complete with a speaking role.

Updated: This article has been updated to clarify the position of the game’s creators. 

Hotline Miami (Pitch Film) from Saman Kesh on Vimeo.