Ratchet & Clank (2016 movie)

Ratchet & Clank, sometimes referred to as the Ratchet & Clank movie to differentiate it from other parts of the series, is an upcoming CG-Stereoscopic animated action-adventure Sci-Fi film based on the Ratchet & Clank video game franchise. The film was initially set for release during 2015 but got delayed to 2016, due to the market being crowded with film releases. The film is a stand-alone adventure produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment with assistance from Insomniac Games and Sony Computer Entertainment. The film will be directed by Jericca Cleland and Kevin Munroe, with the script for the film written by Ratchet scribe TJ Fixman. The movie is focused on Ratchet, Clank and Qwark as Ratchet and Clank try to stop Chairman Drek from destroying the Solana Galaxy. The film also has a game being released alongside it.

Announcement
The movie was announced on April 23, 2013, via the PlayStation Blog with a Ratchet & Clank Movie Announcement Teaser trailer on YouTube. Included in the announcement was a PlayStation Network store sale of Ratchet & Clank games on the week starting 30 April 2013 in thanks to the fans for ten years of support making the movie possible.

Press release
"Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind – a foolhardy 'lombax' who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they’ll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity."

Plot


The story will be based on the origin of Ratchet and Clank covering a similar story to the original Ratchet & Clank video game but in greater detail and with deeper meaning. The story will answer fan questions and theories in a larger, theatrical release adding bits and pieces from the plots and ideas of later games.

Ratchet & Clank is about Ratchet and Clank meeting and stumbling across a dangerous weapon able to destroy planets. They join forces with the Galactic Rangers and attempt to stop Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy.

The film will feature locations previously seen in the Ratchet & Clank original series and also includes many weapons and gadgets.

Synopsis
The Solana Galaxy is in a state of panic! Three planets have been destroyed under mysterious circumstances. But is the destruction being caused by natural phenomenon? Or are more sinister forces at play?

The answer lies deep inside the memory banks of a small robot named Clank, who has just escaped the clutches of Drek, the villain behind the destruction.

Clank flees to warn the Galactic Rangers, but crash-lands on a remote planet. There, he meets an orphan named Ratchet. Desperate to escape the mundane life of a starship mechanic, Ratchet offers to take Clank to warn the Galactic Rangers.

Ratchet is no stranger to the Galactic Rangers, having failed on numerous occasions to join their ranks. But upon their arrival to the planet Kerwan, Ratchet heroically rescues their leader, Captain Qwark and a cute ranger named Cora. His heroism catapults him to something resembling celebrity status, and Qwark asks him to join the ranks as a Galactic Ranger. A dream come true for mischievous Ratchet.

Qwark leads Ratchet and the other rangers in a raid on Drek’s robot factory on a mission to apprehend the villain. They manage to arrest Dr. Nefarious, Drek’s chief scientist. Dr. Nefarious reveals Drek’s secret weapon, the Deplanetizer.

Clank grows wary of Qwark, who seems to be jealous of Ratchet’s celebrity status. Sure enough, Qwark sabotages the mission, resulting in the loss of the planet Novalis. Dr. Nefarious escapes. All seems lost.

Ratchet exiles himself on a distant planet. Clank and Cora find him and convince him to help them defeat Drek. He reluctantly joins them for one last assault on the Deplanetizer.

It won’t be easy. Nefarious and Drek are determined to carry out their plans. And without Qwark’s help, their task will be much more difficult.

Development
The movie was already in production after the announcement in April 2013, with Insomniac Games having wanted to make a Ratchet & Clank movie for a long time. The movie will be released early in 2015. Attempts to secure rights to a movie previously had been rejected by Insomniac Games as they wanted to ensure a Ratchet & Clank movie would be completed in the right way with high quality. TJ Fixman wrote the movie's script with Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment producing the film. Insomniac Games are involved in film's production, screenplay, character development and animation consulting.

Collaboration


The movie was given a lower budget than many films but the production is possible due to the collaboration between several organisations. Insomniac Games helped to guide the creative vision and provide various assets for use in conceptualization and pre-production. Rainmaker Entertainment's previous setup and experience allow them to produce high quality results at lower cost while Sony Computer Entertainment and Insomniac Games are partners in promotion the movie, both to new fans and an existing fan base.

Evan Wise, the composer for Escape from Planet Earth, and Sly Cooper, is the composer for the Ratchet and Clank movie.

CGI
Existing art and in-game models allowed a lower cost in the pre-production stages of development. According to James Stevenson, the design is based from the Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction style, previously described as providing a "you are playing a Pixar movie" experience.

Audio
In order to stay true to the games' characters, the same voice actors for the main characters are involved - James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye and Jim Ward. During the original announcement it was revealed that they were in discussion with potential celebrity talent.

Cast

 * James Arnold Taylor as Ratchet.
 * David Kaye as Clank.
 * Jim Ward as Qwark.
 * Armin Shimerman as Dr. Nefarious.
 * Paul Giamatti as Chairman Drek
 * John Goodman as Grimroth
 * Bella Thorne as Cora
 * Rosario Dawson as Elaris
 * Slyvester Stallone as Victor Von Ion

Crew

 * Director: Jericca Cleland
 * Executive producer: Michael Hefferon, Kevin Munroe
 * Producers: Brad Foxhoven, David Wohl, Kylie Ellis
 * Supervising producer: Kim Dent Wilder
 * Associate producer: Ryan Schneider
 * Writer: screenplay by TJ Fixman

Characters

 * Clank
 * Chairman Drek
 * Dr. Nefarious
 * Captain Qwark
 * Ratchet
 * Plumber
 * Taxi Driver
 * Tharpod
 * Fongoid Child
 * Grimroth
 * Mr. Zurkon
 * Cora
 * Elaris
 * Victor Von Ion

Species

 * Blarg
 * Lombax
 * Robot
 * Helio-Grub
 * Fongoid
 * Markazian
 * Tharpod

Weapons

 * OmniWrench Millennium 12
 * Combuster
 * Negotiator
 * Mr. Zurkon

Gadgets

 * Swingshot

Vehicles

 * Taxi
 * Nuclear-powered rocket sled
 * Escape Pod
 * Speeder
 * Galactic Ranger Jet

Planets and locations

 * Solana
 * Kerwan - Metropolis
 * Veldin - Kyzil Plateau
 * Novalis

Galaxies

 * Solana Galaxy

Organizations

 * Galactic Rangers