I was hoping at Comic-Con Legendary Pictures would clarify their plans for the Mass Effect movie they're developing.  But the extent of their presentation was basically, "Hey, we're still making a Mass Effect movie.  Thanks for stopping by."  Now Legendary has put up Twitter questions that were supposed to be asked during the panel but were skipped due to time constraints.The biggest piece of new info is that Mass Effect "will be a completely new story."  Screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) previously said his script would be "following and honoring the story," and Legendary's comment doesn't negate that statement.  BioWare hasn't created a single story for Mass Effect as much as it's created an entire world.  Yes, there's an overarching storyline involving an ancient evil race out to destroy the galaxy, but BioWare has put far more effort into developing the various species, planets, characters, and so forth to the point that any writer could conceivably drop a new Commander Shepard story into the mix and still have it fit.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: Now Legendary has changed their tune.  Hit the jump for what they're saying now.]I think there's going to be a balancing act at work since Legendary doesn't want to end on a cliffhanger like the first Mass Effect game.  Here's a Q&A exchange from Legendary's blog [via GameRant]

Q: Will it be a trilogy?

A: We are really focused on making this a great movie, so we’ll see where it takes us. We have to get the first one right to know whether there will be more.

It would be too cramped to do the whole reaper threat in a single movie so the question becomes, "Do you even bother bringing up that plotline in the first film?"  What sets Mass Effect apart from other video game adaptations is that there's so much room to create a new story rather than just copy a plot the players already know.

Other brief pieces of info (and remember, this is all subject to change as the film moves through development; no director is even attached at this point):

- Seth Green will not portray Joker (the character he voiced in the game).

- Shepard will be the protagonist and the character will be male (the game gives players the choice to make Shepard male or female).

[Update: Here's what Legendary's website says now regarding the story:

Q:  Will it just be an adaptation of the first game, second game, or a completely new story?

A:  It will focus on Commander Shepard's journey, centering around the story of the original Mass Effect game.

Q:  How are you going to address the element of 'choice' that the players have in the game?

A:  The writer is weaving a path through Shepard's decisions that best supports the narrative of the movie and the motivations of its characters.

Legendary has also gone from a definite "No" on Seth Green playing Joker to "No casting decisions have been made yet."

Thanks to @Illusion0fLife for the heads-up.]

While Mass Effect churns through development, gamers can look forward to March 6, 2012 when Mass Effect 3 hits stores.

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