March 02, 2005 - The big-screen adaptation of Ubisoft's popular stealth-action game Splinter Cell is on the fast track at Paramount Pictures. The game-to-film project, inspired by the works of Tom Clancy, is in the capable hands of actor-writer-director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, The Rundown, Very Bad Things).  The Moviehole website recently chatted with Berg and got an update on the picture.

"It's going excellent," Berg says. "J.T [Petty] is doing the weight of the writing on it, but I'm going to take all the credit."

The studio has said that they're hoping to merge the game's trademark blend of stealth and action with dynamic and original characters.  Berg seems to be on the same page... "I'm a big fan of that kind of story. I love secret-agent books – I love Bourne – with missions, and kidnappings, executions and assassinations. I read books like, all the Ludlum books, I like the Alistair MacLaine books like Guns of Navarone...  I just like that kind of stuff."

Berg hinted that he'd be into casting Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, but adds that it's too early to decide who should star. Other names like Thomas Jane, Eric Bana and Kurt Russell were floated as well.

"Next week," says Berg, "I'm going to DC to talk with [Tom Clancy] and Porter Goss, the new head of the CIA. Very exciting!"

Keep watching our Games-to-Film section for updates.