Riot Games might be planning a live action film.
Riot recently posted a job on their website looking for a Global Head of Live Action Film as well as a Global Head of Live Action TV. According to the job listings, Riot is looking to develop feature films for the League of Legends cinematic universe and other new franchises.
The entertainment team at Riot will be developing “custom IP experiences” like animation, interactive narratives, and consumer products that “deepen players’ and fans’ connections to the universe” Riot has created within League of Legends.
“Being a player doesn’t stop at the end of a game anymore. As the gaming landscape continues to collide with entertainment, we’re building a new team to bring Riot’s IPs to players around the world in new ways, and invite new audiences into the fold. This team will aim to show players and the world that entertainment now starts with games,” one job listing said.
Riot never specified what the film and TV projects are about. But the job descriptions give a lot of hints at what Riot has in mind for the growing League of Legends universe. The Global Head of Live Action Film will be providing creative guidance and feedback to filmmakers regarding outlines, scripts, and cuts. They will also be cultivating partners from the film industry to help with the production and release of the “feature film.”
The Global Head of Live Action TV is doing a lot of the same things. This includes leading the TV creative development team to develop a “scripted series for the League of Legends cinematic universe.” If these posts are anything to go by, Riot is likely hiring a team to create a feature film and a television series based on the League of Legends game, its champions, and its world.
The two positions listed in “entertainment” are sure to be both challenging and demanding. They both oversee the development and production of the movie and show. They work with production teams, filmmakers, financial partners, and distributors to make this happen.
In addition, the two major roles require someone to produce ideas by researching and developing concepts that originate from “internal sources and acquired pitches.” But they won’t only be leading pitch meetings and building relationships with writers, directors, and producers. They will also be negotiating development, distribution, and production deals.
Part of the job also includes “establishing credibility for Riot Entertainment.” This includes explaining the team’s value proposition and building relationships with the creative community.
As expected, a job of this magnitude requires a lot of experience. Riot has a hefty list of required qualifications for each role. The Global Head of Live Action Film must have over eight years of hands-on development and production experience in entertainment and experience working on “well-executed films” and creating “high-quality features” from new ideas. They must also have knowledge when it comes to all aspects of production and post-production. A more specific requirement includes “experience working with the adaption of existing IP and world-building.”
It looks like Riot is really trying to build a knowledgeable and experienced team that could bring some credibility to their movie and television endevers. While Riot has never confirmed that they are planning a film or what their television show will be about, it seems like the video game developers are quite serious about this idea for the time being.
This isn’t the first time that the League of Legends community has speculated the possibility of a TV show or movie set in the game’s cinematic universe. In 2019, Riot Games told the Hollywood Reporter that it was creating an animated series in honor of the game’s 10th anniversary. It was to be called Arcane.
The animated television series would be rated 14+ since it had “adult subject matter.” Riot’s head of creative development, Greg Street, said that the show was not going to be light-hearted. Instead, it would have a lot of serious elements.
The television show was going to be animated by Fortiche Productions, a Paris-based company that’s animated character reveal trailers in the past. Riot had also created a team in Los Angeles that resembled a “traditional Hollywood writers room.” It had writers who worked on major television shows, Riot’s global head of IP businesses and partnerships Jarred Kennedy said at the time.
“We started this world with a game, the game exceeded our expectations and our players said they wanted to see more of this world,” Street said.
Street had compared the potential future of the franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Harry Potter. Arcane was slated to debut in 2020, but production issues may have slowed that down. It’s unclear if this is the television show Riot is hiring for now.
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