Exclusive: Jason Momoa In Talks For Dead Space Movie
We've exclusively learned Jason Momoa is in talks to join the cast of James Wan's upcoming film adaptation of Dead Space.
Apparently, Minecraft isn’t enough for the fan-favorite villain of Fast X. Our trusted and proven sources tell us Jason Momoa is currently negotiating to appear in the upcoming film adaptation of the 2008 survival horror video game Dead Space. Back in April, it was Giant Freakin Robot who exclusively reported that James Wan (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) had been tapped to direct the movie.
We did not receive concrete word on who Jason Momoa is in talks to play in Dead Space, but assuming the film follows the basic story of the game, it seems likely Momoa — usually a leading man these days — will play engineer Isaac Clarke. In the game, Clarke is part of a rescue team sent to answer a distress call from the space vessel The Ishimura. Aboard the ship, Clarke is confronted with the mutated remains of the dead — called Necromorphs — that have been animated by an alien artifact.
Wan seems like a fitting choice to adapt Dead Space, considering his experience. Wan’s worked extensively in the horror genre with films like 2021’s Malignant and different chapters of the Conjuring and Insidious franchises. At the same time he has a few blockbusters under his belt like the Jason Momoa-led Aquaman films and 2015’s Furious 7.
There had been reports that Halloween and The Thing director John Carpenter was attached to the Dead Space adaptation, but in January he told Variety those reports came from a misunderstanding. He clarified that he had said he “would love to do a Dead Space film,” but that he was in no way attached to any such production. He also said a movie was in the works with “another director involved,” who we now know is Momoa’s Aquaman collaborator, James Wan.
Joining a budding Dead Space film franchise could prove to be a very smart move for Jason Momoa. Not only does he have the advantage of already working with Wan on the Aquaman films, but it gives him the opportunity to make a dent in a film genre he hasn’t managed to get a secure foothold in: horror. He’s starred in a couple of horror films, but neither have managed to get the kind of critical or commercial acclaim enjoyed by Aquaman.
Jason Momoa’s first trip into horror was in 2014 Canadian-made werewolf film Wolves. Two years later, he joined a stacked cast that included Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Suki Waterhouse, Diego Luna, and Giovanni Ribisi in The Bad Batch (not to be confused with the Star Wars series). Both films were panned by critics, and flew far under most radars. As a big-budget video game adaptation, Dead Space could give Momoa the chance to become a horror-leading man.
The Dead Space film Jason Momoa is in talks to join will be the first live-action adaptation of the games, but not the first film adaptation entirely. The franchise has enjoyed two animated movies — 2008’s Dead Space: Downfall and 2011’s Dead Space: The Aftermath.
