Following the success of 3 Body Problem in 2024, Eiza González is adding to her sci-fi portfolio this year by starring in a movie that draws from the horror genre too, and the result makes the project seem very similar to a hugely successful video game franchise. Although it won’t officially be one of the many upcoming video game movies, it certainly shares many of the same themes and hallmarks as a beloved (but terrifying) game series.

González’s character in the 3 Body Problem cast gave her a pivotal role to play in the Netflix ensemble, but the actress’ upcoming movie gives her a much more prominent position within the story. тιтled simply Ash, the project has González star opposite Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul in a narrative that looks to revolve around few characters but huge amounts of tension. It stands the chance of working its way into Eiza González’s best movies, as the Ash trailer gives a certain group a lot to be quietly excited about.

Eiza González’s Ash Movie Looks Like It Could Be A ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space Adaptation

The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space games have clearly had an influence on Ash

Ash looks to take a great deal of inspiration from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space games. Since the first game was released in 2008, the series has grown to become a sprawling franchise and prioritizes instilling fear and unease in its audience. It does so by having a lone protagonist stranded aboard a spaceship, with mysterious and terrifying aliens lurking around every corner. When held up against Ash, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space could easily be viewed as the movie’s source material. It isn’t, but it’s probably the closest ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space fans are likely to get any time soon.

Both stories draw on sci-fi tropes to build their worlds, but they both opt for the type of universe that doesn’t align itself with utopian sensibilities. Rather than aliens living in harmony with humanity as in space operas like Star Trek, both Ash and ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space portray their extraterrestrial characters as little more than animalistic beasts set on killing humans. So, they’d both be impossible to execute without a healthy dose of the horror genre as well.

Why A Live-Action ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space Movie Hasn’t Happened

A big-name movie director still wants to take the project on

Ash has kind of beaten ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space to the punch by making a live-action movie that’s so inspired by the games. Although there have been animated ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space movies, the series has yet to spawn a live-action project. However, that isn’t to say that there haven’t been whispers of one happening. Horror movie legend John Carpenter has expressed interest in taking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space to the big screen in live-action form, with the Halloween writer/director declaring himself a huge fan of the franchise.

Unfortunately, it still hasn’t happened, and it may very well be due to the risks involved in making a video game movie. Although they are becoming far more commonplace as the years go by, live-action video game adaptations aren’t always very well received. The source material often needs to be altered to work in a new medium, and established fans can become irritated by these changes. So, although Eiza González‘s upcoming sci-fi/horror movie isn’t a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Space project, it could unknowingly serve as a beta test for an official live-action adaptation being greenlit.