Amid the ongoing video game adaptation boom, one of the more surprising projects in development is an animated Bloodborne movie with YouTuber Jacksepticeye on board as producer. The Bloodborne super-fan, real name Seán McLoughlin, is a curious choice to be shepherding one of the more acclaimed games of its generation to the screen, and in a new conversation, McLoughlin has acknowledged widespread scepticism of his involvement.
Speaking on the 100 Questions with Tom Simons show, McLoughlin was asked a series of rapid-fire questions about his Bloodborne adaptation, which was announced at Cinema Con in April. The YouTuber-turned-unexpected-movie-producer recognized that his name being so closely associated with the Bloodborne movie – which still doesn’t have a director, writer, or animation studio attached – has left fans puzzled.
“I would say 80% of the responses were critical of it,” McLoughlin admitted. “I don’t want to say negative… I would be the same if someone took my beloved IP, which is my favorite, and then some YouTuber’s attached to it. It makes you scratch your head a little bit.”
Since it was announced, McLoughlin has repeatedly reassured fans that he feels “all the pressure in the world” to get the movie adaptation right, noting that “gamers need it” as prayers for a 60fps remaster or sequel continue to go unanswered by FromSoftware.
“I wouldn’t have let it go in a direction that I don’t think is worthy of the Bloodborne IP,” McLoughlin reiterated. “I am not trying to be the game. I’m not trying to one up the game, and I’m not trying to compete with it or tell the same story; I’m trying to honor the universe that’s there and tell as good a story as I can within it.”
Bloodborne is one of two FromSoftware games currently being adapted for the big screen, with the Alex Garland-directed Elden Ring movie now in post-production after wrapping filming in July. The Bloodborne movie is still much earlier in development, with no news yet on who will write, direct, or star. All we know is that McLoughlin is intimately involved, with the YouTuber even claiming he’s the one making hiring decisions.
“On these calls, people listen to me above almost anyone else,” McLoughlin claims. “I say that my role is that I’m the one being like, ‘This is a good idea, this is a bad idea, we shouldn’t do this.’ But also I’m the one greenlighting who gets hired, and who we work with to make sure that vetting process is good. You don’t want to bring on anyone who has no idea what Bloodborne is. In simpler terms, I’m sort of the vibe-checker to be like, ‘Yeah, not that.'”
We’ve got a long wait ahead to find out whether McLoughlin was the right man for the Bloodborne movie job as the animated feature is currently undated. In the meantime, you can head to the theater right now to see Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie, which just set a new high bar for video game adaptations on the big screen.
For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming video game adaptations for everything else worth getting excited about.