Space Invaders is being made into a movie. Yes, really. Apparently the studio is looking for a scriptwriter right now, and we wish them good luck with that.
Given this bizarre turn of events, what other classic games could do with the movie treatment? We can think of a few…
Incidentally, one of these is actually being made already – see if you can spot which without scrolling to the end.
Pong
On the surface it may not seem the most obvious game to reach the silver screen, but bear with us. It could work as a conceptual art film, 90 minutes of a match between two of the world’s top players. It’d be like Wimbledon, but more techy, and with a retro twist. Danny DeVito could play the ball.
Tagline: Two paddles, one ball, that’s it.
Donkey Kong
It’s already proved its cinematic worth, in the awesome The King of Kong, so why not make a big screen version of the classic platformer? The cast of The King of Kong could even reprise their roles as villain and hero, with Billy Mitchell playing Donkey Kong, lobbing barrels at Steve Wiebe in the Mario role as he tries to make his way up.
Tagline: Will Mario get chumpatized?
Missile Command
Well we’ve had Armageddon, Deep Impact, and Independence Day, why not a remake of this classic shooter? For that authentic arcade experience someone should look over your shoulder in the cinema, telling you what should happen next. In the same way there was no way to finish the game, it just kept getting harder until you died, there would be now way to enjoy the movie – it would just carry on until everyone got bored and left.
Tagline: Saving the earth 10p at a time.
Manic Miner
Before Tomb Raider there was Manic Miner, which involved you trying to collect flashing objects before your air supply ran out. We can see it in the same vein as Run Lola Run, three lives to collect the objects, and for some reason we think Martin Freeman would fit the role of the miner.
Tagline: In the mine, no one can hear you scream.
Paper Toss
More modern than its forebears, but still a pretty addictive online game nonetheless. Nick Nolte is a cop on the edge: his wife has left him, he drinks and smokes too much, and he’s just taken on a young rookie (played by Michael Cera from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) who’s wet behind the ears. He needs to show him the ins and outs of throwing a ball of paper into the bin, and that they need results, even if it means breaking the rules. A recurring joke could see Cera making notes about the game, then Nolte scrunching them up and throwing them in the bin.
Tagline: It’s bin emotional.
On January 11th this year, 20th Century Fox announced it’d acquired the rights to make Missile Command into a movie. So there you are.
