In a bit of a surprise move, director Francis Ford Coppola thinks that now is the time for an Apocalypse Now video game. We can’t imagine why he would think that Now is when the Apocalypse happens; nor can we imagine why a man with his own line of wines would need a Kickstarter to make a project. Maybe you can help us work through this.

As in the film, players will take on the role of Captain Willard, on a secret mission to assassinate renegade Colonel Kurtz. Throughout the course of the game, players will have the ability to make their own decisions independent of the original narrative. As players navigate the unspeakable horrors of the Vietnam War, their reactions to each situation will result in consequences that will alter their journey as the story unfolds. Every decision matters, and each player will tell their own story.

“Forty years ago, I set out to make a personal art picture that could hopefully influence generations of viewers for years to come. Today, I’m joined by new daredevils, a team who want to make an interactive version of Apocalypse Now, where you are Captain Benjamin Willard amidst the harsh backdrop of the Vietnam War. I’ve been watching videogames grow into a meaningful way to tell stories, and I’m excited to explore the possibilities for Apocalypse Now for a new platform and a new generation,” said Coppola.

Check out the Kickstarter page here. There are more videos from the behind the scenes on both the games and the original film.

For gamers, this is a mixed bag in that — yes, of course we want to see what an Apocalypse Now video game looks like — but also, we’ve already seen what an Apocalypse Now video game looks like. A lot. Vietnam has served as the backdrop for innumerable games, but even the story arc and settings and themes have been done in the interactive medium incredibly well, especially in the Far Cry series which even features a helicopter assault scene set to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.”

And if you haven’t played 2k Games’ Spec Ops: The Line… well, you haven’t discovered what a secret awful person you are. It is last console generation’s answer to Apocalypse Now, and will frankly be hard to beat.

Perhaps the best news about this adaptation is the murderer’s row of creative talent behind the scenes. The team includes: Rob Auten, a lead writer on multiple billion-dollar gaming franchises including Gears of War, Battlefield, and Far Cry; Lawrence Liberty, whose executive producer and director credits include Fallout: New Vegas, The Witcher, and DC Universe Online; Montgomery Markland, who was the lead producer on two of the most successful crowdfunding titles of all time: Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera; in a special advisory capacity, Obsidian Entertainment’s Design Director Josh Sawyer, who directed Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, and many more game luminaries to come.

So what do you think? Has this narrative been done to death already? Are you already burnt out on games wherein “choices” preach at you about your inherent evil? Is today the day you sit down and start Far Cry 3 from the beginning again? Or have you already thrown a bunch of cash at this Kickstarter? Sound off in the comments below.

Image: Omni Zoetrope/United Artists