Activision a annoncé via un communiqué de presse que la VO de Call of Duty serait doublée par des invités de marque (mais néanmoins pas très coûteux quand même) : Jason « Le Transporteur » Statham et Giovanni Ribisi (aperçu dans Basic récemment), respectivement dans les rôles du Sergent Waters et du trouffion Elder.
Activision se lance donc allègrement sur les traces de XIII, qui utilisera les voix de David Duchovny, d’Adam West et de la rappeuse Eve. Les deux jeux sont d’ailleurs prévus pour la rentrée.[–SUITE–]Le communiqué de presse :
Ribisi, Statham Enlist for ‘Duty’
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Giovanni Ribisi and Jason Statham are lending their voices to « Call of Duty, » a new Activision video game franchise that allows players to assume the character of a World War II soldier.
Ribisi (« Basic ») provides the voice for American Pvt. Elder, with Statham (« The Italian Job ») doing the same for British commando Sgt. Waters.
The first « Call of Duty » game features 24 missions set in Europe and will follow squads of U.S., British and Russian soldiers who unite to defeat the Nazis. The franchise will continue to focus on different characters and weave historical battles with fiction.
WWII-based games continue to be top sellers on both consoles and PCs. The genre received a huge push when Steven Spielberg (news) created the « Medal of Honor » game franchise for DreamWorks Interactive, following the filming of « Saving Private Ryan. »
Santa Monica-based Activision is working with agencies to develop a series of TV specials that will utilize the « Call of Duty » brand, and it met with toy companies at ComiCon in San Diego last month to discuss action figures. Novels and graphic novels also are in the works to tie in with the games.
Activision said it wanted A-list voice talent from the very beginning, since it approached the audio portion of the game in the same way a Hollywood feature film would.
« We’ve tried to insert a Hollywood connection anywhere there’s audio because that’s where the top talent is, » Activision senior producer Thaine Lyman said. « The games are about big cinematic moments on the battlefield, and we want the experience to have the best visuals and sound effects possible. »
That approach also led Activision to enlist writer-producer Michael Schiffer for a script rewrite, specifically to punch up the game’s dialogue. And « Alias » TV series composer Michael Giacchino was brought in to score both the PC and console titles.
In a trend that is predicted to continue as the gaming business grows, more and more Hollywood talent is migrating to games. Schiffer said he entered the game space because of the deep story opportunities.
« Video games are evolving into real stories that involve real characters, » Schiffer said. « I approached this game the same way I’d approach a feature film, but I was able to sit down and play the game and create dialogue that was in the heat of the action. That’s a luxury you don’t get with film. »
