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Space Invaders, the iconic 80’s arcade game from Taito and Midway, is being adapted for the big screen, with producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Odd Lot Entertainment’s Gigi Pritzker at the helm.
The trouble is, Space Invaders doesn’t have much of a story to it: in the game, you shoot rows upon rows of alien invaders whilst taking cover behind green barriers. There’s not much more to it than that. di Bonaventura and Pritzker are currently on the lookout for a writer to craft a story around the concept, however.
di Bonaventura has some experience with 80’s geekery; he was a producer on both the Transformers and G.I. Joe movies, and is in the midst of converting another classic arcade game to the big screen: Asteroids.
Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, Space Invaders first hit arcades in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, with Midway licensing it in the US sometime later. This isn’t the first time film-makers have attempted to turn it into a movie either, but previous efforts have all failed.
Elsewhere in the film industry, there’s a Phoenix Wright film in the works, as well as Uncharted (will we be seeing Scarlett Johansson or Amy Adams as Elena?) and BioShock hasn’t been ruled out yet, either.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of a plot they come up with for a Space Invaders film – there’s nothing in the way of story or lore to ruin. Still, that doesn’t mean it won’t be tripe.
