As a director renowned for his use of computer generated imagery, explosions, and action, the news that Michael Bay is working on a virtual reality (VR) film project probably won’t come as a particular shock to many; immersive explosions will be the next big thing, watch this space. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Tranformers director has revealed that he’s partnering up with a Los Angeles-based VR startup called The Rogue Initiative which formed earlier this year.
Together, The Rogue Initiative and Bay plan to develop original entertainment properties for VR with Bay taking on the role of a strategic advisor at the company. Their first project, which Bay will direct and the The Rogue Initiative will produce, is being described as “gritty, danger-close action coupled with Michael Bay’s signature style.” Other than this, details on the project are fairly thin on the ground.
Bay isn’t the only big name coming on board The Rogue Initiative team; it was also announced that he would be joined in his strategic advisory role by producer Lynda Obst who has worked on titles such as Interstellar.
Now that they’ve secured the support of some big names in the film industry, The Rogue Initiative plans to seek additional investment and even more partnerships in the hope of developing a slew of VR film and TV content for all of the major VR devices. Not long after its launch, VRFocus interviewed The Rogue Initiative’s CEO Pete Blummel who revealed the company’s vision for the future:
“Our vision is to be the premier entertainment company where Hollywood meets interactive tech. We have a deep understanding of these two sides of the entertainment industry, and we’ve structured the company such that Hollywood storytellers and filmmakers can create characters and worlds that cross mediums, and our underlying technology provides the bridge for achieving this.”
VRFocus will continue to follow The Rogue Initiative’s progress as well as the progress of Bay’s project and report developments as and when they’re announced.
