EA and Starz Media have announced the development of an animated movie prequel to Dead Space. The movie will reveal new details on the sci-fi survival horror game that is set to haunt gamers this Halloween.

Starz’s internal studio Film Roman (the animation company behind The Simpsons and King of the Hill) will be producing Dead Space. The animated feature will premiere at the same time that the game is launched on the 31st of October. It will be released via broadcast TV and later on DVD. EA and Starz also confirmed that they have animation projects in development for two other EA franchises.

The script of the Dead Space animated feature picks up the plot where the original comic book series ends and leads up to the beginning of the Dead Space game. The story focuses on the events on board the USG Ishimura, a futuristic mining spaceship, after it discovers a mysterious artifact at a remote dig site. The crew struggle to survive after the artifact triggers an invasion by an alien presence that has long been dormant.

Dead Space is currently under development for the Xbox 360 and PS3 at EA Redwood Shores.

Inspiring other forms of media

“Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for video games, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media; especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman President and COO Scott Greenberg said. “We’re particularly thrilled to be starting off with Dead Space.”

“We are really excited to be working with Film Roman to create an animated feature that will tell the portion of the Dead Space saga between the comic and game,” said Glen Schofield, Executive Producer for Dead Space. “With the video game, comic book and now animated movie, Dead Space has become a true multimedia brand. Each of these elements delivers the story to new audiences and tells it from different aspects and perspectives.”