Doom coming to the big screen?

EuroGamer.net reports that Warner Brothers is trying to secure the film rights from Id Software for a movie based on its popular Doom first-person shooter computer game. The companies are apparently in the final stages of negotiations.

Id wants the film to start production within 15 months or otherwise the rights will revert back to the developer. However, work on the script won`t start until the deal has been signed. With Warner reportedly looking for a PG-13 rating, it is debatable how true to the game the movie will be.

Sharp researchers in Britain have developed a flat-panel display for either two- or three-dimensional viewing that will not require special glasses, reports Reuters. Sharp wants to set up a consortium with major technology companies such as Sony and Microsoft to promote the new technology.

The company says the biggest challenge was to make it possible to switch between the ordinary 2D mode and 3D with the push of a button. The Oxford laboratory has spent 10 years developing the technology but has struggled to keep costs down. Sharp is initially aiming for costs no more than 50% above a conventional display with volume production of the screens set to start within the next few months.