Francis Ford Coppola wants to make game based on Apocalypse Now

Director Francis Ford Coppola plans to develop a game based on his Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now. His studio American Zoetrope wants to collaborate with well-known names from the game world and is trying to get funding through Kickstarter.

American Zoetrope describes the game as a psychedelic horror RPG. The development will involve designers, writers, developers and producers from, among others, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, The Witcher, Neverwinter Nights 2, Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera and Star Wars Galaxies. With Francis Ford Coppola’s approval, they want to develop the game, but funding would have to come through Kickstarter because “traditional game publishers don’t allow this.”

The goal is to raise $900,000. People who support the project with $35 or more can expect the game by October 2020, when the software should be released. Those who commit higher amounts can get extras such as merchandise, items from the original set of the film and access to early versions of the game. Those early versions should be released in 2019, the year of the 40th anniversary of Apocalypse Now. There are also stretch goals, including to directly create a PS4 and Xbox One port and to develop a VR version.

Francis Ford Coppola says he sees games as a platform for storytelling. The story of Apocalypse Now revolves around Captain Willard, who is on a secret mission in Vietnam during the war to kill the crazy Colonel Kurtz.