Universal Pictures is betting big on classic video game franchises. According to Deadline, the studio has struck a deal with Atari to develop movies based on 10 of the company’s most iconic games, with Asteroids, Missile Command, Pong, Centipede, Adventure, and more included in the agreement.
The partnership with Atari and Entertainment 360 is designed to turn the publisher’s legendary library into a slate of large-scale action-adventure films. Universal has already purchased the first project under the deal: an original feature screenplay by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, who will also produce alongside Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady.
For Atari, the agreement represents a major step in bringing decades of gaming history to the big screen.
“For more than five decades, Atari has created games and worlds that have remained part of popular culture long after their original release,” Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said in a statement to Deadline. “We are excited to work with Universal and Entertainment 360 to bring the spirit of our iconic brand and games to a new medium.”
Which Atari games are included?
According to Deadline, Universal now has the rights to develop films based on the following Atari properties:
- Asteroids
- Adventure
- Berzerk
- Breakout
- Centipede
- Crystal Castles
- Millipede
- Missile Command
- Pong
- Yars’ Revenge
While the first project hasn’t been identified as an adaptation of any one specific game, Deadline reports that the screenplay by Reilly and Hampe served as the catalyst for the overall deal. The pair reportedly envisioned an original, blockbuster-style adventure inspired by Atari’s catalog rather than a direct adaptation of one classic title.
The latest video game movie push
Hollywood’s appetite for video game adaptations continues to grow following the success of films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and A Minecraft Movie. Atari’s library presents a different challenge than many modern franchises, since many of its best-known games are built around simple gameplay concepts rather than detailed narratives. That hasn’t stopped Universal from seeing franchise potential in their catalog.
“Matt Reilly and I grew up playing Atari 2600 games and have remained fans ever since,” Casady told Deadline. “The best Atari games dropped you into a world and let your imagination do the rest. Carl and Matt saw an opportunity to take that same spirit and build an original, large-scale adventure around it. From the moment we read the screenplay, we believed there was a great movie here.”
No release dates, directors, or casting have been announced for the first film, but with Universal now controlling development on ten of Atari’s best-known properties, it’s clear the studio sees the gaming brand as a source for its next wave of blockbuster adaptations.
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