March 12, 2019 Bethesda really wants you to know it’s got nothing to do with that new Doom movie.
Doom has already gotten the movie treatment once, and the results weren’t great. (Yes, the chainsaw scene was just campy enough to be okay.) Now with Doom Eternal on the way, we’ve got another adaptation coming with Doom: Annihilation – a straight-to-video reboot which at least has a proper portal to Hell and a cast of demonic enemies.
Sadly, it seems that Bethesda isn’t particularly impressed. When a fan posted to Twitter last night asking for the developer’s “honest opinion” on the trailer (which you can see below), the response was swift. And devastating.
The quote-tweeted reply, which came from the official Doom account, simply said “we’re not involved with the movie.” Now, it’s very possible that that’s just a simple statement, but the blunt, matter-of-fact nature of the put-down reads to me like a snide comment regarding the overall quality of the project. You can feel the disdain oozing from that community manager’s keyboard.
The basics of the trailer are as you might expect – a group of apparent space marines are called in to deal with a disaster at a research base on Martian moon. There are big guns, vaguely zombie-style monsters, and more properly demonic foes. The trailer does indeed feature the words “portal to Hell” spoken out loud, so it at least fixes the most common complaint about the previous film.
Then again, the trailer also features the words “it’s not a game anymore,” so maybe all hope is lost. Director Tony Giglio has predominantly directed similarly straight-to-video projects in the past, ranging from 1999’s Soccer Dog: The Movie to the more recent SWAT: Under Siege in 2017. Giglio also has some experience in game adaptations as a 2nd unit director on Resident Evil: Afterlife.
You can see the 30-second trailer below.
Doom: Annihilation is set to release this fall. (Just don’t expect it in theatres.)
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The movie might hold you over until the Doom Eternal release date, at least, which is still yet to be confirmed. You can still follow that link for plenty of details on what we know about the upcoming sequel.