Heroes star Masi Oka developing MMO-themed movie: The Defenders
by James Egan 
Jun 11th 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Culture, News items
Massively multiplayer online games sometimes get a bad rap in mass media, but these games and the experience of playing them are slowly becoming more prevalent in TV and film. In fact, a new family adventure movie called "The Defenders" will focus on MMOs, and the film's concept is from none other than Heroes star Masi Oka, best known for his role as the time-travelling Hiro Nakamura. Oka has some serious geek cred, having worked on fluid effects for Industrial Light and Magic and being a dedicated World of Warcraft player. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Defenders has been picked up by DreamWorks. THR.com gives a brief synopsis of the plot: "The story centers on a group of mostly teenagers from around the world who are involved in a multiplayer video game, each unaware of who they really are behind the cover of their consoles and avatars. They are forced to come together for a real adventure, becoming inadvertent heroes in the process." In some respects, this film sounds like The Goonies re-imagined for a contemporary audience that identifies with their virtual personas.
[Via WoW.com]
