Ubisoft Developing New Esports Movie With ‘I Feel Pretty’ Team

Ubisoft Film & Television has announced development on a new, esports-centered film, co-written and co-directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, the team responsible for I Feel Pretty, the 2018 comedy starring Amy Schumer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is based on an article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal titled “The Next Generation of Competitive Gamers Is … Over 60?,” written by Laura Parker. In the article, Parker wrote about a group of senior citizens that formed their own esports team. Ubisoft has been expanding its purview into films and television of late, starting with the recent Apple TV series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.

Further details are limited at this time, but it’s easy to imagine how the set-up could lend itself well to a comedy film. Of course, with Ubisoft Film & Television at the helm, it also should give esports fans some assurance that gamers won’t become a punch-line in the film. The unprecedented growth of esports over the last few years has all but guaranteed that TV and film projects would eventually center on them. The new project from Kohn and Silverstein certainly sounds like a good starting point for just that.

In addition to the film, Ubisoft is currently in the production stages of multiple other film and television projects. While some of these merely tie-into themes surrounding the video game industry (such as Mythic Quest), the studio is also working on animated features based on characters owned by the company. Finally, a film based on Tom Clancy’s The Division is currently in the works for Netflix. The project will reportedly star Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.

Ubisoft is currently the biggest video game company in Europe, and their recent diversification should benefit both the company, and the video game industry as a whole. While many negative stereotypes still surround gaming as a hobby, projects like these could go a long way towards showing just how beneficial video games have proven for people of all ages. Time will tell whether or not Kohn and Silverstein’s project with Ubisoft will help in this endeavor, but given the quality of work that the team is known for, it should prove to be a very good sign.

Are you excited about the upcoming esports film from Ubisoft? Should more video game companies expand their purview in the same way? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!