Cyberpunk 2077 movie will tell an original story, not the game's

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that the live-action Cyberpunk 2077 movie will not adapt the video game's story. Instead, it will tell an original narrative set in the same universe. Co-CEO Michał Nowakowski explained this in an interview with Polish outlet PAP Biznes on October 15.

The project is being developed with Paramount and has Lorenzo di Bonaventura as producer, known for his work on the Transformers franchise. Nowakowski was clear: the team wants to tell a new story within the Cyberpunk world, not bring the game's plot to the big screen. That leaves out, at least as a direct protagonist, the story of V, the mercenary we control in the video game.

A decision that already worked with the anime

The strategy immediately brings to mind Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the Studio Trigger anime that premiered on Netflix in 2022. That series used Night City as its setting, but with completely new characters and an independent story. The result was one of the best-received titles of that year and pushed the video game back to the top of the sales charts.

Now CD Projekt Red is betting on repeating the formula in live action. There are still no details on whether the movie will bring back characters from the game, specific locations, or elements of the original plot. The only confirmation is that the story will be original within the universe's canon.

No date, no cast, and no plot

The project is in a very early stage. Reuters reported on October 9 that Paramount and CD Projekt Red were collaborating on the movie, with Di Bonaventura as producer. Since then, no release dates, cast, or official synopsis have been announced.

For those who want more of this universe, there's a date coming up: the second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners arrives on Netflix on October 20, 2026, also with an independent story and new characters.

The decision not to adapt the game makes sense when you think about how complicated it is to compress a dozens-of-hours-long adventure into two hours of runtime. And seeing how well it worked with the anime, it's logical they'd want to repeat it. What do you think? Would you rather see V's story in theaters, or does a new story convince you more? I'll read you in the comments.