The Monster Hunter Movie Was Inspired By A Metal Gear Solid Collab

When the first trailer for the live-action Monster Hunter movie debut, some fans might have been surprised by the soldiers and military hardware. For director Paul W.S. Anderson, this was not out of left field. It was, he said, organic.

During a recent Sony Pictures chat, filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson was asked why Milla Jovovich’s character was in the military.

“Well, it kind of came organically based on where Monster Hunter had been before,” said Anderson. “And I was very influenced by a crossover that Monster Hunter had done before with Metal Gear Solid.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Jns7aAmLc

Back in 2010, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker did a collab with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

“That already existed,” he continued. “It’s part of the mythology of the game. And I thought this was great imagery to juxtapose a man with a machine gun against the creatures.”

In the movie trailer, there does appear to be a direct reference to the Peace Walker crossover with Monster Hunter

According to Anderson, the inclusion of the military made for a striking way to explore the movie’s larger themes.

“I thought what fun to kind of play with the hubris of the modern world in that we put our faith in technology so much—in fact, too much in my opinion,” he said. “And of course, in the movie, it doesn’t go so well. So these people who have all these weapons and all these vehicles—they just end up getting fucked up.”