Ron Gilbert not keen on Monkey Island movie adaptation as it could make Guybrush "too much of a buffoon"

Video game film and TV adaptations seem to be coming at us from all directions these days, however Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert isn't keen to see his piratical puzzler head in this direction.

Speaking at Devcom earlier this week, Gilbert and fellow Monkey Island developers chatted about the most recent release in the series, Return to Monkey Island.

Along with the discussion about the game's conception and art style (something that Gilbert defended on Return's announcement last year), the topic turned to film projects based on the series.

"I know there was a movie [project] after I left that they started to do but I don't know what happened and why it was cancelled," Gilbert recalled (thanks, gamesindustry.biz).

The creator went on to state he doesn't believe the character of Guybrush Threepwood - Monkey Island's beloved and self-proclaimed 'mighty pirate' - would necessarily work on film.

"I think he works well in an interactive medium where the player can identify through him," Gilbert explained, before saying he would be concerned that a Monkey Island cartoon or show would turn Guybrush into "too much of a buffoon".

"And he's not a buffoon at all," Gilbert said, noting that while Guybrush does get into a few scrapes "he always has really good intentions".

The creator continued to state he was not convinced this would translate to film, saying it would "kind of worry" him.

But while Guybrush may not be swashing his buckles on TV any time soon, he has popped up again in Sea of Thieves.

A trio of Monkey Island-themed Tall Tales known as The Legend of Monkey Island will be released in Rare's pirate extravaganza over the next few months.

The first of these tales is currently available for players to sail on into. I recently played through this opening chapter with fellow Eurogamer pirate Matt, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Mêlée Island. In fact, I called it the "second best Monkey Island crossover I've ever seen".

Matt was more poetic with his thoughts, and wrote: "One of my favourite moments in Sea of Thieves' new Monkey Island collaboration comes right near the start of the first episode; as you sail through the familiar pea green soup of the Sea of the Damned, approaching a distant, dimly lit island, a transformation occurs.

"Suddenly, the familiar Monkey Island theme begins to stir in a rumbling of steel drums, the fog parts in unison with a dramatic colour palette shift, and there it is, in a sheer blast of giddying nostalgia: the unmistakable moonlit heft of Mêlée Island, sprawled beneath searing purple skies."

If you are a fellow Monkey Island fan, I would highly recommend checking this Tall Tale out for yourself.