One of the most iconic arcade games of all time is getting the big-screen treatment. Video game adaptations have a mixed track record historically (to put it mildly), but Hollywood has found greater success with these types of projects in the past handful of years. Paramount launched a hit Sonic the Hedgehog series that’s gearing up for its fourth installment. The animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, bringing in over $1 billion. Even Tom Holland’s Uncharted, which wasn’t a critical darling, earned $401.7 million worldwide. Now, another legendary game is looking to join those ranks.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to Deadline, the writing duo of Ben Zazove and Evan Turner have been hired to pen a Space Invaders script for New Line. Details beyond that are being kept under wraps. It’s unknown when the project is looking to begin production and no release date has been set. As of this writing, there isn’t a director or cast attached to Space Invaders.
A Space Invaders movie has been in the works for quite some time. Development on such a film dates back to 2014, when Warner Bros. secured the rights to the classic arcade game. Over the years, the project has cycled through screenwriters such as Greg Russo and Dan Kunka, but the movie obviously never came to fruition.
Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav outlined how the company’s film slate will look moving forward. The plan is to release 12-14 titles theatrically each year “across four key labels.” One of those labels is New Line Cinema, which will target 3-4 movies annually. Space Invaders isn’t the only video game adaptation in the works at WBD; Mortal Kombat II, starring Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, hits theaters this October.
While the Space Invaders game doesn’t have much in the way of plot or mythology (the player just simply shoots faceless alien enemies), the core concept should lend itself well to a feature film. After all, Independence Day was essentially a live-action Space Invaders adaptation, showing humanity coming together to take down an extraterrestrial force. Alien invasion is also one of the most prominent subgenres in science fiction (see: War of the Worlds, among other examples), so Space Invaders is an idea that can work on the big screen.
The trick, of course, will be finding a way to make Space Invaders stand out so it doesn’t come across as an Independence Day clone. Cynical moviegoers may deem this an impossible task as New Line tries to lean on brand recognition to make a quick buck, but films like The LEGO Movie and Barbie have shown that it’s possible to use classic IP as a springboard for a heartfelt, entertaining, and thought-compelling story. Perhaps Zazove and Turner will team up with the right director who has an idea to put a fresh spin on Space Invaders. Assuming the film gets off the ground this time, it’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Paramount -
Image Courtesy of Big Finish Productions.
