A Live Action Horizon Zero Dawn Should Cast Ashly Burch As Aloy

Sony has recently revealed that a live-action movie adaption of Horizon Zero Dawn is in the early stages of development with Columbia Pictures. Horizon Zero Dawn is one of Sony’s best-selling console exclusives. The game is also visually stunning, so it makes sense that in the current movie landscape, with more and more video game titles coming to the big screen, it was only a matter of time until fans would be able to see Aloy on the big screen.

The news was revealed at a recent Sony press conference at CES, where the studio also confirmed a Helldivers 2 movie and a Ghosts of Tshushima anime adaptation. Horizon Zero Dawn was originally in talks with Netflix to receive an original series but plans to move forward with the series were canceled after the appointed showrunner, Steve Blackmann, was accused of creating a toxic workplace. Columbia Pictures are now in charge of adapting the game series into a movie rather than a TV show, which in the case of Horizon could play better because the plot of the games served mostly to accommodate the exploration and free roaming, so Columbia shouldn’t struggle to condense the narrative into a two-hour narrative.

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The Horizon Zero Dawn Movie Has A Chance To Be Better Than A Show Ever Would Have Been

A Horizon Zero Dawn movie could thrive with a focused 2.5-hour runtime, balancing its breathtaking world and Aloy’s journey without story bloat.

Horizon Zero Dawn Will Fit The Big Screen Perfectly

Anyone who’s played either of the games will remark on the game’s vibrant landscapes and mind-blowing visuals. Many players spend most of their time completing side quests and roaming the open-world landscape rather than tackling the main storyline quests. So, with the appropriate use of CGI, Columbia Pictures could recreate a setting similar to what is seen in the games which would look stunning on a cinema screen, and if they marketed these visuals well, they could even draw in a completely new audience that aren’t even gamers.

The narrative of the Horizon games is similar to film series that did very well with young adults, such as the Divergent and The Hunger Games series. Both of these film series were adapted from young adult books and were based around a sole female protagonist’s story set in a dystopian future America. Much like Katniss from The Hunger Games, Aloy also wields a bow and arrow, but in her case, she uses it to help her slay robot dinosaurs (not too dissimilar).

Ashly Burch As Aloy Is

Aloy became a Playstation icon due to the success of the Horizon games. She is a very distinct figure with long red braided hair and her Nora tribal clothing. Aloy is a calm yet fierce spirit who’s always willing to help and fight for a just course. In the game series, Aloy is portrayed by actress Ashly Burch, who supplies the voice and motion capture performance for the character, and therefore it makes sense that she would have the best understanding of how to portray Aloy through voice and body. Yet, for some reason, video game adaptations very rarely cast the game actors in the live-action adaptations. Arthur Morgan’s voice actor and motion capture artist, Roger Clarke, stated his disapproval of this trend, saying he would only want to see a Red Dead Redemption adaptation if he could play Arthur Morgan. Clarke also believed that it was unfair to the game actors who created the original characters and brought them to life to not be considered when adapting to live action.

Actors who play video game characters are still often regarded only as voice actors (something Clarke is always quick to correct), which is perhaps why they aren’t considered often for live action adaptations. However, many modern video games now also use face capture technology as well as motion capture. Meaning, experienced video game actors like Burch are more than comfortable acting through voice, body and facial expressions.

There are some exceptions to this trend. The Last of Us has seen Merle Dandridge relive her role as Marlene in the TV series, and Jeffery Wright is set to play Isaac again in the upcoming season this April. Dandridge delivered a very faithful performance of Marlene in the TV show, which is not surprising as she laid down the blueprint for the character when the game was released in 2013. Perhaps the success of her performance will make studios more willing to consider using the actors from the game they’re adapting from.

Burch also has experience acting outside the video game medium. She has made features in many web series, as well as the Apple TV original Mythic Quest, which she is also a staff writer and co-producer on. So making the jump to live action would not be outside of Burch’s comfort zone. It would be her first time as the lead in a feature film, but given her experience and knowledge of the character of Aloy, she would still be an obvious fit for the role.

The only slight issue with casting Burch as Aloy is her appearance. Burch doesn’t exactly match Aloy’s in-game appearance. She does not have red hair and has differing facial features. However, due to the futuristic elements of the Horizon games, it’s presumed that Columbia Pictures will have to incorporate CGI and other special effects. Perhaps the studio could incorporate CG or prosthetic make-up to get Burch’s image to more closely fit Aloy’s. This depends on how accurate the studio wants to be. Some adaptations take more creative liberty and cast characters that don’t physically resemble the video game character but rather resemble them through their personality and emotions.

With Ashly Burch’s experience of acting out Aloy’s facial and body movements tied with her having an identical voice to Aloy, having her play Aloy in a big screen adaptation would have fans of the game feeling right at home in the theaters. And if the Horizon Zero Dawn film does decide on investing in practical and special effects, there are also lots of ways Columbia Pictures could make Burch’s appearance match Aloy’s, if that is the creative direction they chose to go in.

Systems

Released

October 31, 2024

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment