A public campaign is now underway to bring a feature-length film adaptation of Marc Ecko’s 2006 video gameGetting Up: Contents Under Pressureto the big screen.
As Ecko himself revealed on social media on Monday, complete with some impressive footage from director Elliott Montello, he was first given a glimpse a few months back at a work-in-progress being developed as a pitch to him for a prospective Getting Up movie.
“When I saw the work [Montello] did, and all the amazing favors he pulled- just to get me on a Zoom call, I could not ignore the universe’s poke,” Ecko said.
In the same post, Ecko—the founder of Complex magazine—tucked in a message to fervent fans of the graffiti-as-protest classic by acknowledging the previous chatter of its long-awaited sequel. While he has “not given up on the dream” of a Getting Up 2, he’s now focused on getting this feature-length expansion of the larger Getting Up universe fully off the ground and in the air.
An official site for the tentatively titled Getting Up: Legends of New Radius includes an opportunity for fans to get involved by signing and sharing a “letter of support” which states, among other things, that this effort is focused on getting the film made “correctly.” In part, in the words of the letter, this means steering clear of “the same old overproduced and underwhelming formula.”
Get a closer look at how things are shaping up behind the scenes for this next chapter of Getting Up below and/or by hitting this link.
“So, 3 months ago I got a DM from a fan site that still posts on Instagram about that old video game today,” Ecko told Complex. “That project was especially meaningful to me. Though it didn’t meet the heights of success I had anticipated at the time, it is still regarded as one of my favorite creative undertakings. It is extremely close to my heart since I was able to work with and creatively interact with an immeasurable number of incredible talents (from musicians to actors to video game designers) and Graffiti legends. I mean from Talib Kweli to Giavoni Ribisi, Diddy to T-Kid, Rosario Dawson to RZA? It was a crazy life changing experience getting that game made. In so many ways, It was soooo much bigger than me. And that was and is Trane’s (the lead character) motives and evolution as well.”
Ecko said that as he learned more about Montello, he was amazed by his “tenacity.”
“In commemoration of 9/06, we decided to release it last night at 9:06pm— and start sharing with the universe on 9/06/2022,” he added. “Readers may not know, but in the original story (and also in the attached trailer) 9/06 was an important date to the plot.
Ecko wants people to visit www.gettingup.com to “sign the letter of support in solidarity,” because it is “not easy to get a movie made and Maintain creative control. But that is my charter. I am working with Elliott Montello, to stay attached with the film as Director.”
He concluded, “I realize many day ones will be disappointed that the announcement is not for a new game. YET. Between life and a very busy (and enriching) work schedule, it took for some wild way for the universe to poke – for me to say, ‘why not now?’ So here we are!”
Stay tuned for more.
