Legendary’s TV adaptation of Square Enix video game Life Is Strange is getting a bit more musical.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, along with Andrew Gertler, his partner at Permanent Content, have come aboard to oversee music for the series, which is being developed by Legendary Television and dj2 Entertainment.
Also coming onboard to kick-start the project, which Legendary picked up in 2016, a year after the game was released, is Anonymous Content, the banner behind buzzy series True Detective and 13 Reasons Why.
Strange isn’t exactly what comes to mind when Hollywood tackles video games. The game isn’t a first-person shooter or epic sci-fi fantasy, but rather a series of compelling, story-driven adventure games that feature a universe where everyday protagonists wield supernatural powers while dealing with real challenges, real relationships, and real emotions.
The story for the first game centered on photography enthusiast Max Caulfield, a high school senior who discovers she can rewind time while saving her best friend Chloe Price. The pair soon find themselves investigating the mysterious disappearance of fellow student Rachel Amber, which uncovers a dark side to life in their town, Arcadia Bay.
Gamers responded to the adventure game, which has now become a franchise with sequels and spinoffs. It has also won several awards, including the 2016 BAFTA for best story and the inaugural Peabody Futures of Media Award. The newest entry, Life Is Strange: True Colors, will release on Sept. 10.
Mendes and Gertler will executive produce via their production banner, Permanent Content, while Joy Gorman Wettels and Zack Hayden will exec produce for Anonymous.
They join dj2’s Dmitri M. Johnson, Howard Bliss and Dan Jevons.
Legendary Television and AC Studios will serve as co-studios on the project, with Legendary Television acting as lead studio.
Strange is being developed through the first-look deal between Legendary Television and dj2 Entertainment. The two companies are working on previously announced television series My Friend Pedro and the anime series Tomb Raider, the latter being made for Netflix.
Mendes is known for his Billboard Hot 100 top five hits such as “Stitches,” “If I Can’t Have You” and “Señorita,” his No. 1 duet with girlfriend Camila Cabello. He and his manager Gertler created their TV and film production company Permanent Content as a joint venture with Anonymous. The company produced In Wonder, a documentary for Netflix centered on Mendes on a world tour. The company is also working on a youth changemaker docu-series and a feature titled Aku.
Mendes is repped by AG Artists.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
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