Film and television adaptations of video games are a prominent trend in Hollywood today. However, Aliona Baranova, who serves as the Performance Director for Baldur`s Gate 3 and also lent her voice to Corinna the Squirrel, believes that insufficient effort is being made to cast video game actors in these adaptations. This issue is particularly vexing given how much dedicated fandom contributes to the success of such productions.
During her appearance at FanX`s Tampa Bay Comic Convention, as reported by Collider, Baranova expressed her disappointment, stating: “It’s a shame that the video game audience is being overlooked when it comes to screen projects. We see from you guys how dedicated you are… and I feel like that`s been neglected at the moment by filmmakers and studios.”
She further highlighted how the strong commitment of fans, particularly from queer communities, can significantly uplift a film or show. Baranova recounted an experience: “There was a medical drama I did in the UK… Maternal. I’ve seen that it’s been translated into Chinese, all my scenes have been found, translated into Chinese, and put on Bilibili and watched thousands of times.” She also pointed out the substantial support other Baldur`s Gate 3 stars have received, citing Jennifer English, the voice of Shadowheart: “She had a short film at the BFI that premiered… she posted a story on Instagram, and last minute, 60 people travelled to come and support her.”
Given the immense support that fans of video game actors can provide for their various projects, Baranova finds it frustrating when these performers are overlooked. She cited the example of Ashley Johnson, who became “the number-one-most-looked-up person on IMDb” when her episode of the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us was released. Baranova questioned: “Why is more of that not happening? Why was Doug Cockle not in the TV series, The Witcher? Why are we not being considered when there’s video game adaptations? Even animated adaptations like Arcane, we would love to be part of those.”
It`s worth acknowledging that the live-action Witcher series is presented as a separate adaptation of the books, even if its very existence likely owes much to the success of the games. Nonetheless, the central argument holds true: game adaptations frequently neglect the very individuals who were instrumental in their creation, in various capacities. As Baranova aptly put it, “It`s a shame that that’s being overlooked. It’s being slept on.”