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Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright doesn’t see the point of video game movies, because video games are meant to be played, not watched
Edgar Wright doesn’t see himself directing any video game films anytime soon
NewsbyJoshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer
Published on Thu Jul 30 2026
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Edgar Wright has directed movies based on comic books, and more recently, a Stephen King novel. However, don’t expect to see the filmmaker direct any video game adaptations anytime soon, despite the success of something like this year’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Wright says he doesn’t understand the appeal of a video game film, since the entire point of the medium is to play instead of watch.
“I think generally my brother is a bigger gamer than I am,” Edgar Wright told the crowd during a panel at GalaxyCon Richmond 2026. “I used to be much more into video games in my teens and early twenties and sort of when I was doing Spaced that was sort of the end of it. My brother has continued to be a big gamer.”
Why the mention of his gamer brother? Well, because it ties in with Wright’s greater point about how he feels regarding video game movies.
“The way I feel about video game adaptations on screen, with very few exceptions, is the same way I feel when my brother is showing me him playing the game and me watching. It’s not as fun for me as it is for him,” Wright continued. “And I feel like video games by their very nature is that if you’re playing a video game, you get to be in the thing. You’re not just watching it. I think usually they’re not a good idea. The game is the ultimate adaptation. That said, I’m excited to see Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.”
Wright makes an interesting point, but money and viewership talks. If you look at the box office for the aforementioned Super Mario animated films, it’s clear the money is there. Plus, there is an entire cottage industry on YouTube based around people watching other gamers playing video games. Maybe Wright thinks video games aren’t meant to be watched, but there are millions of viewers who might disagree.
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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.
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