Video games are bigger than movies (that’s just a fact for ya), but does that mean the designers of a game are able to handle getting behind the camera for a movie? We’ll find out soon as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 vid game director Keith Arem is about to play guinea pig with Frost Road, an action thriller with some post-apocalyptic themes. Read on for details and drop in your thoughts on a game director taking on a big budget feature film.
Activision Blizzard is generating critical raves and blockbuster sales for “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” and the success of the videogame is rubbing off on its director Keith Arem.
Arem will make his feature directing bow on “Frost Road,” an action thriller that Cary Brokaw (“Closer,” “Angels in America”) will produce along with Steven L’Heureux.

The project revolves around a young man who awakens from a car accident to discover he is one of few survivors in the aftermath of a mysterious outbreak that’s struck a small coast town on the East Coast. Somehow immune to the contagion, he tries to save the remaining survivors as he struggles to prevent the deadly wave from spreading across the planet.

Arem penned the script for the pic, and is also developing the project as a graphic novel with co-creator Brandon Humphreys, with Christopher Shy illustrating.

Brokaw will produce through his Avenue Pictures shingle, while L’Heureux will work through his Solipsist Films, focused on developing pics and TV shows based on comicbooks and graphic novels. Arem will produce through his PCB Prods.

Brokaw most recently produced “The Resident,” starring Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan for Hammer Films, which is now in post-production. Company also has a first-look deal with Fox Television Studios.

“Modern Warfare 2” has earned more money than any other videogame during its first week of release, collecting $550 million in worldwide sales during its first five days and $3 billion in sales to date.

As talent director on the game, Arem was responsible for directing, casting and engineering all of the actors for the game, which included 50 Cent, Barry Pepper, Kevin McKidd, Keith David, Billy Murray and Lance Henriksen.

Through PCB, Arem has also done game development for the “Lord of the Rings,” “Spider-Man,” “Rainbow Six,” “Silent Hill,” “Prince of Persia,” “Guitar Hero,” “Ghost Recon” and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” franchises.

Arem said he was “thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the skills I’ve honed in the game industry to the big screen” on “Frost Road.” “There’s an incredible talent pool currently working in the game industry, and I hope that the success of ‘Frost Road’ will give other creators the chance to show what they can do on a wider canvas.”