Sly Cooper Movie

The Sly Cooper franchise would make a seamless transition to the video format. First, the game is already heavily reliant upon cinematic cut scenes to carry the story. Second, the game employs a staff of witty writers and utilizes a darker, modern aesthetic that has been well received by gamers of all ages. Thirdly, the protagonists and their setting are very unique and offer filmmakers the chance to create a highly differentiated movie. Lastly, because of its success in the video game market, a Sly Cooper movie has the ability to transcend market segments and reach a broader audience. If successful, the movie could lead way to further games, a Saturday morning cartoon, and various merchandising endeavors.
Sly Cooper and the League of Ragnarok starts in the same way as all Sly Cooper games: with a recollection of past events and the story of how the characters met in an orphanage. One day, Bentley reads about a crime in Eastern Europe, a crime in which a band of techno-terrorists have stolen blueprints to a doomsday device. This band of techno-terrorists, or the aptly named League of Ragnarok, wish to create a 3 year winter causing the destruction of society and its eventual rebirth into a new world order. Sly and Gang must steal the components of the device before the league can build it, in order to foil their plot and save the world. The plot will reunite old friends as they work together to defeat the League.
Their journey starts when Bentley hacks into the League’s computer and copies the blueprints of the Vetr Cannon, a gigantic weapon with the power to change Earth’s climate. This allows the League to ascertain the whereabouts of Sly’s hideout and they are subsequently attacked by Angrbär, the League’s muscle-bound hitwoman. They narrowly escape and retreat to their mobile hideout, Murray’s modified van. Sly and Gang quickly hatch a plan to infiltrate the Jotunheim ruins and stop the device from being activated. During the infiltration, Sly is captured, Murray manages to escape, and Bentley is thrown into the ocean and presumed dead. With Sly and Gang dispatched, The League of Ragnarok is able to activate their device and envelop the Earth in a 3 year winter.
…9 months later…
The world has been shrouded in winter for about 8 months now. Cold, hungry, and deprived of human contact, Sly Cooper sees sunlight for the first time. He hears a woman’s voice asking him if he is alright. Slowly her face comes into focus: it’s Carmelita Montoya Fox! She with the help of Bentley, and Dmitri Louseau the “Lounge Lizard,” infiltrated the League’s underground gulag and extracted Sly. She explains the dire situation and expresses her desire to set aside their differences and work together for the good of the planet. The League has been holding the world’s food sources ransom and charging extravagant prices to everyday citizens. The world is steeped in a permanent -4 degree winter while the League watches from their mobile, floating techno-paradise of Jotunheim.
First, Sly and Gang must discover the position of Jotunheim. Bentley hacks into the Interpol database and is able to locate Angrbär. The team flies to southern Europe and manages to sneak into her lair. After much fighting, Sly and Carmelita interrogate Angrbär and are able to pry the whereabouts of Jotunheim from her. She informs them that the waterborne station circles the equator in order to maintain the chilled climate. However, it must stop every 3 months at an uncharted island in the south Pacific.
Jotunheim is an impregnable techno-fortress equipped with weapons and traps birthed from the twisted minds of the League. It will take all of Bentley’s cunning, Murray’s strength, and Sly’s stealth to infiltrate this metallic leviathan.
Sly and Gang eventually make it to the core of the station where the leader of the League of Ragnarok awaits, along with the power source for the Vetr Cannon. Sly must defeat the evil warlord and disband his league. After a climactic battle, Sly overcomes the odds and incapacitates the evil villain. Carmelita is able to make the arrest and downloads the names of the remnants of the League from his master computer. Sly is able to steal the power source of the Vetr Cannon, a 14 ct. diamond, and reunites with his friends outside Paris. During the epilogue Sly finally conquers his fears and professes the feeling he’s had for Carmelita throughout the first three games. Emotionally and physically battered from the past year of duress under the League has shaken her faith in traditional law enforcement. She too professes her feelings toward Sly and joins their Gang as his fiancée and partner. The movie closes with the wedding in Sly’s new mansion paid for by the stolen diamond.
In all honesty I had envisioned this game as a Saturday Morning cartoon. Each episode could feature Sly’s Gang obtaining an integral piece of info or equipment for the big heist that would end the season. Sly Cooper’s far-reaching appeal and unique aesthetic make it a ripe IP for the big screen. The use of traditional animation cuts down on awkward acting and allows for a truer interpretation of the original work. A properly translated game could open doors for future titles, sequels, and profitable merchandising. A well received movie could also give Sony the mascot they are looking for.