Brett Ratner wants to make a Guitar Hero movie

Back in May, Variety's Marc Graser reported on "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner's new company Brett Ratner brands and its first (and as of then, only) client, Activision, for which the firm produced several ads that ran during "American Idol."

At the time, Ratner told Variety that he wants to make movies based on games, and as we've already reported, he's currently attached to Universal's "God of War" adaptation.

Now via MTV Multi-Player, we find out that he had another project in mind: "Guitar Hero: the Movie." Apparently the auteur has been working his connections over at Activision, but to no effect:

I'm trying to convince them, but why would you have a movie screw up such a huge franchise? Not that I would make a bad movie.

I think what Ratner meant to say, and what I'm sure Activision is telling him, is why risk making a bad movie? "Guitar Hero" games have grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and are one of the key franchises on which the entire Activision Blizzard merger is based. The financial benefits of a hit movie are nothing compared to the money the game has made -- and, more importantly, Activision hopes it will make. But the negative impact on the the franchise's public perception if the movie is another "Doom" or "Super Mario Bros." could be pretty severe. So why take the risk?

Plus, Bobby Kotick and the Activision team strike me as pretty conservative business folks who wouldn't at all be tempted by the allure of working with Hollywood just for the sake of getting into a premiere and seeing one of their games on the big screen. Unlike certain other game companies that shall remain unmentioned.