Universal to Adapt Classic Atari Game Asteroids as a Movie
Yet another head-scratcher coming from Universal Pictures this week as they have apparently picked up the film rights to the classic Atari and arcade game Asteroids. Yes, that’s right Asteroids… the game with a little triangular ship shooting giant rocks in space. I mean, we all know that big screen adaptations of video games are usually doomed from the start, but when you’re dealing with a game as simplistic as Asteroids, well, I really don’t know what to say.
This is the same studio that has movies based on Monopoly, Battleship, Candyland, Stretch Armstrong, and Major Matt Mason in development. Clearly they’re primarily interested in selling nostalgia, although somehow I think they might be taking the idea a little too far. The thing that kills me is that apparently there was a four-way bidding war for Asteroids. Are you kidding?! Matthew Lopez (Bedtime Stories, Race to Witch Mountain) is the man who has been hired to invent a story out of thin air. What other Atari games should Universal pick up the rights to?
Comments (14)
Maybe they are planning on making one big movie with all the games in it. At least that would save time in watching one crappy movie, instead of six crappy movies.
Posted by BigHungry on July 2nd, 2009Super Breakout would be pretty wicked.
Posted by Matt on July 2nd, 2009I’d say pitfall, that at least kind of has a story to it.
Posted by Nick D on July 2nd, 2009Whats next…Pac-man the movie?
Posted by Matt Keith on July 2nd, 2009kaboom the game
Posted by BigHungry on July 2nd, 2009http://www.groovz.com/play/kaboom/
“Whats next…Pac-man the movie?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZWYwYqbfuM
Posted by Goon on July 2nd, 2009Didn’t Hollywood already do that … twice back in the late 90’s? And even befor that with Sean Connery in the lat 70’s?
Posted by Ian on July 2nd, 2009*smacks forehead with hand repeatedly until a small spot of blood begins to appear*
Solaris was a space themed game on the Atari that I remember being one of the best titles on the console. Of course, using that name would be problematic for a film adaptation.
Posted by Ovenball on July 2nd, 2009You mean Solaris the movie *wasn’t* based on the Atari game?
Posted by Sean on July 2nd, 2009Are you kidding me? JOUST! Imagine Guillermo del Toro signing on to direct a trippy – monster infused – Knights in shining armor battling atop ‘roided-out flying ostrich’s – rescuing damsels in distress in a totally epic blockbuster.
It would be so rad and you KNOW it!
Posted by Shut-Up Ed on July 2nd, 2009Actually there was a rumour about Joust a couple of years ago too!
http://www.filmjunk.com/2007/08/28/classic-arcade-game-joust-to-be-turned-into-a-movie/
Posted by Sean on July 2nd, 2009One of my favorite games a movie?? Hella Cool!!!
Posted by cj on July 3rd, 2009http://c-trainsentertainmentreviews.blogspot.com/
Pitfall and Joust are my favorites.
Posted by Geoff on July 5th, 2009If I had my pick of Atari games to make a movie out of I would go probably go with crystal castles or gauntlet or maybe stun runner, the Sword Quest series maybe.
would be a hell of a lot better than freaking Asteroids (sounds like a bad rectal condtion).
Posted by Russell Morton on August 29th, 2009Leave a Reply