Here’s a bit of news I don’t think any of us were expecting: Ubisoft’s Beyond Good and Evil has been picked up by Netflix and is set to receive the film treatment.

☠️☠️☠️ Some good news for Beyond Good & Evil fans ☠️☠️☠️

A Netflix feature film adaptation of @Ubisoft's epic space pirate adventure is in development! pic.twitter.com/H5uMIXhir6

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) July 31, 2020

According to the Hollywood Reporter, it’ll be helmed by the director of Goosebumps and Detective Pikachu, Rob Letterman. The project is still shopping around for writers.

Originally released in 2003, followed by a HD re-master in 2011, Michel Ancel’s Beyond Good and Evil tells the story of Jade, a photojournalist on the world of Hillys which faces frequent assaults from an alien force known as the ‘DomZ’. Jade and her Uncle Pey’J – an anthropomorphic pig – occupy a lighthouse which serves as a refuge for children orphaned by the conflict. When the pair become suspicious of the planet’s supposed protectors, the Alpha Sections, they begin an investigation into the truth behind the invasion.

Sales-wise, Beyond Good and Evil under-performed on release, seemingly dashing Ancel’s hopes of pursuing a trilogy and casting doubt on the series’ future. It’s considered something of a cult classic now, but if you ask me, it’s simply one of the best games ever made – a charming, beautiful and endearing adventure lead by one of gaming’s greatest heroines.

Rumours of a sequel have been circulating for years, but Ubisoft eventually announced plans to continue the series at 2017’s E3: it would serve as a prequel to the original game, and give players the ability to travel between planets.

That’s pretty exciting, given the imaginative scope and colour of Ancel and his team’s original vision, but there’s been precious little in the way of updates on the project since the initial announcement.

Where that leaves Netflix’s film adaptation remains to be seen, but hopefully it means Beyond Good and Evil’s video-game successor isn’t far behind.