Split Fiction movie: first script draft lands — Sydney Sweeney attached, Reese & Wernick writing,

This caught my attention because Split Fiction was one of 2025’s smartest, most playable narratives – a two-player game built around writers whose worlds collide – and seeing it move from co-op mechanic to a single-screen movie always raises a thousand creative questions. A first script draft matters; it tells us the team is serious about translating the game’s clever premise, not just licensing the IP for a quick cash grab.

Split Fiction Movie Update: First Draft In, Sydney Sweeney Attached, Reese & Wernick Writing

• Key takeaway: A first draft by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick signals the adaptation is past announcement-stage mechanics and into story development.
• Cast & crew strength: Sydney Sweeney attached; Jon M. Chu directing – a combo that blends star power with spectacle experience.
• Reality check: Josef Fares is cautiously optimistic — many announced game films stall — so treat this as meaningful progress, not a greenlight.

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Publisher|Hazelight Studios
Release Date|March 27, 2025
Category|Co-op narrative action / fantasy & sci‑fi
Platform|PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
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Why the script news matters

Getting a first draft from seasoned writers — the team behind Deadpool and Zombieland — tells us Amazon MGM isn’t simply shopping a checkbox IP. Reese and Wernick know how to handle rapid-pace, meta-aware humor and genre-shifting set pieces, both of which are essential for a Split Fiction movie that needs to make two very different imaginative worlds feel coherent on-screen.

What I’m watching closely

• How they solve interactivity: The game’s mandatory two-player design is core to its identity. The script must preserve the duo dynamic — rivalry, creative friction, co-op beats — without relying on gameplay mechanics. That’s the tricky creative test.
• Tone and humor: Reese/Wernick’s comic edge can map well to the game’s snarky banter, but it has to honor Hazelight’s emotional heart; if it skews too jokey it risks losing what made players care about Zoe and Mio.
• Visual ambition vs. budget: Unreal Engine 5 visuals in the game set a high bar. Expect a major VFX budget and Chu’s big-stage sensibility to shape the look — but expensive spectacle raises studio pressure to hit box-office targets.

Cast, schedule, and practical timeline

Sydney Sweeney’s attachment is a win: she brings audience recognition and a track record across genre and rom‑com crowds. Josef Fares met Sweeney and described her as “super chill” and excited — a small but useful sign that the filmmakers and star have chemistry. Her existing slate (Gundam, The Housemaid) will shape when filming can realistically start, making a 2028-2029 theatrical release plausible if development stays smooth.

How the movie will probably differ from the game

• Linearized narrative: Expect a single through-line replacing the game’s branching endings and co-op-specific beats.
• Condensed world-swaps: The movie will likely pick a few spectacular genre transitions rather than trying to recreate 20+ hours of content.
• Character focus: The film will lean harder into the Zoe/Mio relationship arc — rivalry to collaboration — as the emotional spine.

What fans can do now

If you want to be ready for the film, play the source material with a partner — the co‑op chemistry is the story’s engine — and follow the creative leads: Josef Fares for dev commentary, Sydney Sweeney for casting teases, and Amazon MGM updates for production notices. Replaying New Game+ or the “Echoes of Imagination” expansion will help you spot which sequences might survive the cut to cinema.

Risk vs. upside — my read

Risk: game-to-film attrition is real; Fares’ “I believe it when I see it” comment is warranted. A mismatch of tone or a rushed adaptation could produce yet another forgettable tie-in. Upside: this team pairs VFX-savvy direction with writers experienced in genre-hopping comedy — the right combination to preserve Split Fiction’s imaginative switchbacks while making it broadly watchable. If handled with respect for the game’s emotional core, this could be one of the better modern game adaptations.

TL;DR

The Split Fiction movie just cleared a meaningful development hurdle: a first script draft from high-profile writers, with Sydney Sweeney attached and Jon M. Chu directing. That doesn’t guarantee a finished film, but it does move the project past the announcement stage into real creative work. Fans should temper expectations while replaying the game to stay sharp on what the movie needs to preserve: the duo dynamic, the emotional beats, and clever genre transitions.