10 Movie Directors Who Should Make Video Games

Ever since the beginning of the console era, the video game industry has naturally looked to Hollywood for inspiration behind some of our favorite game titles.

These days, it seems like every blockbuster film that hits the big screen is accompanied by a officially licensed video game tie-in. While most of these games tend to be sub-par at best (with the exception of Goldeneye), one way to potentially improve them is by enlisting the help of some of the best directors in the movie industry.

Guys like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Peter Jackson have already done it. Now its time for the rest of the director’s guild to follow suit. These are 10 movie directors who should make video games.

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Notable movies: Scarface, Mission: Impossible, Carrie, The Black Dahlia
Suggested game genre: Action/Adventure

For Brian De Palma, suspense is the name of the game (no pun intended). Not sure how movies like Carrie and Carlito's Way would fare on a console. However others that he's done—like Scarface and Mission: Impossible—would make for some quality gaming.

Yes, both Scarface and Mission: Impossible have already been turned into games. But did they do justice to their respective films? Hell no. Had De Palma been involved in the making of the games, perhaps the result would have been different. True, De Palma is no James Cameron or Michael Bay when it comes to cinematography, but he does hold the ability to write a hell of a plot line for a potential crime thriller video game. Perhaps they should have enlisted his help for Hitman.

Notable movies: Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Game, Zodiac
Suggested game genre: Fighting

What do movies like Se7e, Fight Club, Panic Room and Zodiac all have in common? They're each dark, twisted thrillers that arouse shear emotion from viewers. Also, they're all directed by the same guy—David Fincher.

Given his brilliant work on the silver screen, as well as his on-going stint as a music video director, perhaps Fincher could do some sort of a mash-up between a fighting and a music video game (think DDR-meets-Marvel vs. Capcom). Not sure exactly how that would play out—we'll leave that up to Fincher—but it would make for an entertaining game. Besides, he's already done a video trailer for Halo, so why not start making actual games next?

Notable movies: Do The Right Thing, Inside Man, She's Gotta Have It, Malcolm X, He Got Game
Suggested game genre: Sports

The inclusion of Spike Lee on this list is less about the work he's done on the big screen and more about his enthusiasm for sports. After all, somebody's got to hold it down for the sports genre.

The folks at NBA 2K have already brought in Jay Z as an executive producer, so why not Spike next? If it ever happens, perhaps he can get Take-Two to give the Knicks rating a much-needed bump. Also, imagine if Spike's legendary run-in with Reggie Miller playing out on your video game console. That would be epic. Hell, we'd even welcome a street ball game that follows the life of a Jesus Shuttlesworth on his rise to the top. Call us dreamers.

Notable movies: Fast & Furious 3-6, Better Luck Tomorrow
Suggested game genre: Racing

The guy who gave us the four most entertaining movies from the Fast & Furious franchise should be making video games, period. Justin Lin is notorious for packing maximum full-throttle action into his films—a talent the video game industry can heavily benefit from. The gaming community deserves a new gas-guzzling, pedal-to-the-medal title. Lin is the guy who can deliver it.

Notable movies: Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Sin City, Django Unchained
Suggested game genre: Noir

Tarantino doesn't give a shit about CGI. He was once famously quoted as saying "if I'd wanted all that computer game bullshit, I'd have gone home and stuck my dick in my Nintendo."

From that particular comment, it became apparent he doesn't care much for video games either. In fact, he verified it by saying the following:

"I cannot get myself interested in video games. I've been given video game players and they just sit there connected to my TVs gathering dust until eventually I unplug them so I can put in another special-region DVD player."

Still, we think the genius mind behind Pulp Fiction, the Kill Bill series and Sin City should lend his talents to the video game industry. After all, his nonlinear storylines and aestheticization of violence would translate seamlessly from the silver screen to the gaming platform. Besides, that Sin City game may have actually worked out had Bottlerocket Entertainment given Tarantino a call.

Notable movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Following
Suggested game genre: Survival/Horror

If he so chose to, Christopher Nolan could take his video game career two different ways. Given his admirable work on the Batman series, Nolan could potentially delve into the world of superhero action video games, or perhaps even an interactive survival horror-type game likeAlan Wake. Either way, the result would likely be brilliant.

We can see it now—Nolan would utilize the same crisp cinematography that made hits out of movies like The Dark Knight and Inception. His main character would likely be psychologically damaged, thus driving him to seek revenge on his wrong-doers. Bottom line: With Nolan behind the scene, the gaming community would definitely get its money's worth.

Notable movies: Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman
Suggested game genre: Fantasy/Run and Gun

Countless video games have been based on Burton films in the past, including Alice in Wonderland, Batman, Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, Burton has yet to get involved in the making of a game himself.

We're not saying he has to come up with the entire plot, but perhaps he can lend his expertise as the visually talented director that he is. Surely he is capable of coming up with a killer storyline infused with his trademark Gothic style. The result would be a dark and demented protagonist that is part Oyster Boy, part Edward Scissorhands. Better yet, maybe he could do a remake of Earthworm Jim. Maybe not.

Notable movies: Armageddon, Transformers, Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, The Rock
Suggested game genre: Action/Adventure

Of all the directors mentioned on this list, Michael Bay is probably the most likely to venture into the video game world. As a matter of fact, he's currently in the process of directing a video game-inspired movie based on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. If you ask us, turning one of his many on-screen hits into a video game seems like a natural progression. If he does in fact make the jump, his prospective game might look a little something like this.

Notable movies: Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Pacific Rim
Suggested game genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Del Toro actually owes us a video game. The still in development, survival-horror title inSANE, has been wallowing in limbo after developer THQ went bankrupt back in 2012. The rights of inSANE were then transferred back to del Toro, but still no game.

The If you've seen movies like Pan's Labyrinth or The Devil's Backbone, then you know the type of magic Guillermo del Toro could potentially bring to video games. Dude's got a real knack for overloading his dark fantasy tales with visual imagery that is striking on so many different levels.

We're willing to bet that del Toro can come up with one hell of a video game monster, along with a twisted plot to match. Given his work on movies like Hellboy and Pacific Rim, perhaps he can even do something in the superhero genre. Speaking of Hellboy, del Toro was rumored to have been a "contributor" to the accompanying video game. However, given the game's lack of success, it's apparent he didn't "contribute" much.

Notable movies: Goodfellas, The Departed, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Wolf of Wall Street, Casino
Suggested game genre: Action/Adventure

To be quite frank, we don't care what Scorsese does in the video game department, just as long as he does it. Whether it's a Goodfellas-inspired rendition of GTA, or a shoot 'em up crime thriller based on The Departed, we'd welcome it with open arms. Let's be real—the guy has the power to turn virtually anything he touches into gold. Maybe it's his incredible eye for detail, or his heavy use of violence, or perhaps even his frequent use of slow motion. One thing's for sure—whatever game he comes up with would require a main character that (1) packs a semi-automatic, and (2) uses profanity liberally.