'Fear' fit for filming

Vidgame heading to bigscreen despite sluggish sales

By BEN FRITZ

Producers are betting bigscreen auds will warm to an adaptation of 'Cold Fear' even though the horror vidgame wasn't a big hit.

Avatar Films and Sekretagent Prods. have optioned bigscreen rights to survival horror game "Cold Fear" from developer Darkworks and publisher Ubisoft.

It's an unusual license, since "Cold Fear" didn't sell well to gamers. But producers are betting that the scary atmosphere and compelling story -- a Coast Guard Officer trying to reconnect with his daughter is adrift on a whaling ship infested with aliens -- will translate well as a horror film.

The adaptations of some bestselling games, such as "Doom," have flopped upon hitting the bigscreen.

Avatar's Mo Ramchandani and Jorg Ihle, along with Sekretagent's Corey May and Dooma Wendschuh, are aboard to produce in some capacity.

Sekretagent pair have both written games for Ubisoft, which helped them nab the rights to "Cold Fear."

Producers are looking to attach a director before pitching studios.