Another Hollywood star has voiced enthusiasm for a potential Red Dead Redemption movie adaptation, with Karl Urban joining the conversation about who might bring the beloved game to the big screen. Following Jack Black's recent comments about his interest in starring in such a film—despite doubts that Rockstar would ever approve it—Urban has now shared his own aspirations for the project.
Urban, known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, The Boys, Dredd, and other major franchises, even specified which character he'd love to portray: John Marston. In an interview with Square Mile, when asked about video game adaptations he'd be interested in after playing Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2, Urban expressed his fondness for Red Dead Redemption.
"Red Dead Redemption is one of my favorites," he said. "It's a fantastic game. Interestingly, I didn't have much chance to dive deep into gaming culture early on. While I enjoy that kind of escapism, when gaming consoles launched in 1994, I was an unemployed actor in Sydney and couldn't afford them. By the time I could, I was too busy with work projects worldwide to get into it. But on the rare occasions I did play, Red Dead really resonated with me."
He then added the exciting detail: "I mean, come on, John Marston! I'd love to play that character."
For those unfamiliar, John Marston is the main character in 2010's Red Dead Redemption and a secondary protagonist in its 2018 sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2. He's a former outlaw striving to leave his violent history behind and protect his family, all while being coerced by federal agents to track down his old Van der Linde gang members.
Although Urban seems like a fitting choice for the role, the likelihood of this dream coming true appears slim. Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two have consistently shown reluctance to let Hollywood adapt their prized properties, including Grand Theft Auto. In 2024, Rockstar Games co-founder and former head writer Dan Houser commented that a Grand Theft Auto movie "never made sense," citing it as a "huge risk" given the brand's reputation.
Houser and other Rockstar leaders questioned film executives, asking, "Why would we do this? What you've described is you making a movie and us having no control and taking a huge risk, that we’re going to end up paying for with something that belongs to us." They noted that while some might have expected them to be swayed by Hollywood's allure, they viewed their IP as multi-billion dollar assets where the economics and risks didn't align, especially during a time when video game movies were often perceived as low-quality.
