Many respected Hollywood filmmakers share a passion for games, and they bring that enthusiasm into the promotion, marketing, and trailers for major game franchises. This piece spotlights several prominent directors who have crafted memorable game trailers, highlighting seven well-known names and their marquee work.
George Romero – Resident Evil 2 trailer
George Romero is widely regarded as the godfather of zombie horror. His landmark films Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead helped shape modern pop culture’s approach to undead storytelling. The 90s saw Romero commissioned to shoot a trailer for Resident Evil 2, a natural step for Capcom. The trailer, though not universally hailed as revolutionary, reflects its era and still stands out in places. It follows Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they discover a shotgun and brace for a zombie onslaught, with visuals that, in some moments, surpass the cinematic adaptation that later starred Milla Jovovich.
Interesting Fact: Capcom valued Romero’s collaboration, even offering him the chance to write and direct a feature film based on the game. Ultimately, the Hollywood adaptation of Resident Evil was directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, while a new Resident Evil series was later announced for release in July, this time from Netflix with its own debut trailer.
David Lynch – PlayStation 2 commercial
In the 90s, David Lynch, renowned for the mood and mystery of Twin Peaks, challenged conventional TV and cinema with his distinctive surreal voice. His work on Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and Eraserhead reshaped the boundaries of both commercial and arthouse filmmaking. Lynch admired legendary directors like Stanley Kubrick and was even invited to contribute to an envisioned Star Wars episode, underscoring his broad influence on visual storytelling.
In the early 2000s, Sony recruited Lynch to create several PlayStation 2-themed shorts intended to convey the console’s immersive experience. While it remains unclear whether Lynch personally played on the PS2, his promotional shorts aimed to push the boundaries of how gameplay could feel through cinematic language. He described an experience where playing on the new Sony console would transcend ordinary perception, presenting the PS2 as a new layer of sensation and a dreamlike open world.
Michael Bay – Need for Speed: The Run trailer
Michael Bay, known for blockbuster action and high-octane spectacle, took on the task of translating a video game into a cinematic trailer. The Need for Speed: The Run trailer captures Bay’s hallmark energy—adrenaline-fueled car chases, dramatic stunts, and dynamic camera work that mirror the sensation of a fast-paced action sequence. Bay’s background directing Transformers and other blockbuster hits informs the trailer’s fast-cut pacing, explosive visuals, and larger-than-life presence.
Joseph Kosinski – trailers for Halo 3, Gears of War, Doom and Destiny
Joseph Kosinski, known for Oblivion and Tron: Legacy, has directed several striking game trailers. His portfolio includes cinematic work for Gears of War, Halo 3, Doom, and Destiny. One standout is the Gears of War trailer, which places Marcus Fenix in a ravaged urban landscape set to the haunting rendition of Mad World by Gary Jules, originally by Tears for Fears. Kosinski’s Halo 3 trailer adds a dramatic glimpse into the Master Chief’s early days as he resumes the helmeted identity to confront the Covenant threat. The Doom trailer demonstrates a kinetic, relentless sense of pacing that matches the intensity of the game’s demon-filled corridors. Destiny’s live-action portrayal showcases a Bungie universe where disciplined guards face overwhelming odds, underscored by Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.
Beyond these, Kosinski later directed the sequel Top Gun: Maverick, a film that drew praise from critics and notable game designer Hideo Kojima, who reportedly enjoyed the collaboration. Kojima’s interest extended to Batman’s recent portrayal, signaling the cross-pollination between film, games, and superhero storytelling.
James Wan – Dead Space trailer
James Wan, the horror maestro behind Saw and The Conjuring, was entrusted with the Dead Space trailer during E3 2008. The project captures Wan’s gift for atmosphere, orchestrating tension and awe to introduce players to the chilling Ishimura spacefaring setting and its terrifying beings. Wan’s involvement in later projects, including Aquaman, demonstrates his versatility across genres while retaining his signature suspense-driven style.
Dead Space’s trailer, titled Beloved, leans into mood and ominous pacing, guiding viewers toward the claustrophobic unknown aboard a derelict spacecraft. In recent years, a full remake of Dead Space has been announced, keeping fans poised for a reimagined cosmic horror experience, with release details eagerly anticipated by the franchise’s community.
Which upcoming remake are you most looking forward to?
Tim Miller – Trailers for Halo 4 and DC Universe Online
Tim Miller rose to prominence with his approach to action storytelling on the big screen, including Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate, and he contributed to the Love, Death & Robots anthology. Before achieving feature-film fame, Miller directed a trailer for DC Universe Online, which helped him secure opportunities to helm Deadpool. The DC Universe Online trailer unfolds into an epic clash between heroes and villains, showcasing Miller’s ability to blend comic book energy with cinematic scale.
Later, Miller directed Halo 4’s promotional short Scanned, produced by a team associated with notable projects like The Social Network and Fight Club. The piece delves into Master Chief’s past during Spartan training, delivering a compact, action-forward narrative that aligns with the Halo ethos.
Neill Blomkamp – Halo: Landfall featurette used to promote Halo 3
Neill Blomkamp, renowned for District 9, helped push Halo advertising into a more grounded, warlike realism. He created Halo: Landfall, a short that demonstrated to Microsoft, Universal, and FOX the potential for a Halo adaptation on the big screen. The project signaled the possibility of a full Halo film, a plan that did not come to fruition at the time but laid the groundwork for future collaborations. Halo: Landfall depicts the brutality of interstellar conflict with a tangible, human touch, serving as a prologue to Halo 3. It shows the Master Chief’s ship crash and the ensuing squad-based response from a frontline perspective.
Fans recall these efforts as markers of Hollywood’s ongoing curiosity about video game universes and how cinematic storytelling could expand them. What other examples from big-name directors do readers remember in the realm of game advertising?
Which of the directors mentioned in the article created the most ingenious game trailer?
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