A movie, on average, lasts anywhere between 1 and a half to 3 hours. That's nowhere near enough time to get everything about Mass Effect condensed into a trilogy of movies (if indeed it comes to that!). The solution? Simple; you have a TV show with the same cast that runs in the time period between movies. This TV/movie thing has been bandied about in the past by those interested in adapting Stephen King's The Dark Tower, but it never came to fruition. It's also worked to a degree with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, a spin-off of the Marvel cinematic universe. With ME, this idea would work brilliantly. The areas that the film doesn't have time to explore could easily be addressed on the TV show, opening up the possibility of more character development, a greater look at the universe itself and - perhaps most excitingly - the possibility of the audience skewing the direction of the show. How about those running the TV show ask the audience at critical points in the narrative how to proceed? This way, gamers who love Mass Effect will be involved just like playing the game, with the majority vote skewing which of two filmed scenes will air the following week. You can just picture it now can't you? What will happen to Shepard and co as they contemplate the fate of the Rachni? Find out soon, same Shepard time, same Shepard channel! What else would you love to see in the Mass Effect movie? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Dan Curtis is approximately one-half videogame knowledge, and the other half inexplicable Geordie accent. He's also one quarter of the Factory Sealed Retro Gaming podcast.
