EXCLUSIVE: New Line is back on the launchpad with Space Invaders, ramping up the movie version of the classic Taito arcade game from 1978. Warner Bros bought rights to the game several years ago, and New Line has hired Greg Russo to write the script, this after he wrote the reboot of Mortal Kombat for the studio that prompted a production start in South Australia later this year.
Weed Road Pictures’ Akiva Goldsman is producing alongside Safehouse Pictures partners Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell.
It will take work fleshing this into a full-fledged alien-invasion movie, but the title is certain a brand. In the game, a series of blocky aliens descended from the top of the screen to the bottom, and players basically blasted them until their thumbs cramped, or the invaders succeeded in overwhelming the slow-triggered defender of earth.
Russo has become a go-to guy for these high-concept adaptations of branded games. Besides Mortal Kombat, he’s writing Death Note 2 for Netflix, and is adapting the video game franchise Saints Row for F. Gary Gray to produce and direct. He also rewrote the Resident Evil reboot at Constantin Film and Sony.
Russo is repped by Verve, Lit Entertainment Group and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.
Akiva Goldsman?? I had to laugh!
Three words: Dig-Dug
There’s already a movie titled “Spaced Invaders”. I hope they sue.
Screw this guy and everyone associated with bankrolling this mortal kombst and any other brain dead soulless project like it. I hope this sinks worse than “battleship.”
Wasn’t Mars Attacks based on Space Invaders? They should just remake that movie.
Mars Attacks was a parody of Independence Day, so now that they’ve made ID2 they can make Mars Attacks 2.