Monster's Ball Screenplay Writer Penning Dante's Inferno

The Academy Award-nominated screenplay writer behind the 2001 film Monster's Ball is at work on Electronic Arts' and Visceral Games' upcoming video game adaptation of the literary work Dante's Inferno. Writer Will Rokos is penning the storyline for EA and Visceral's Dante's Inferno video game, which is due in February 2010. The title is based on part one of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy, written during the 14th century. Rokos was nominated, along with movie co-writer Milo Addica, for Best Original Screenplay Monster's Ball, which earned star Halle Berry a Best Actress award for her performance. Rokos is collaborating with the game's creative team to form an "all new narrative that parallels the original poem." "Taking such a naturally rich and deep universe and adapting for the video game has been one of the most interesting and challenging projects I’ve worked on," said Rokos in a statement. "I really got into re-imagining Dante as a flawed hero with a dark past, and his determination to save the love of his life from a terrible fate. It was a truly unique experience to re-create one man’s hell, one circle at a time." When EA announced in December 2008 that it would be "sending gamers to hell" with a video game adaptation of the classic poem, the publisher raised eyebrows with an over-the-top, action-packed trailer that ended with a hulking Dante stabbing a ghoul in the head with a cross. "The task of adapting a revered and classic piece of literature for the gaming medium was a tremendous challenge," said Dante's Inferno executive producer Jonathan Knight. "Dante Alighieri’s masterpiece forms the foundation of the game’s plot, but [Rokos'] take on the Dante/Beatrice story brought the necessary conflict and action that made the material really work dramatically. It was an enormous thrill to partner on the script with someone as creative and talented as [Rokos]." EA subsidiary Visceral Games was formerly known as EA Redwood Shores, and also released the 2008 sci-fi horror game Dead Space, which garnered strong reception from gamers and critics.