‘Space Invaders’ Movie Finds Its Scribe

Space Invaders, the classic video game that tasks players with defending the planet against an endless wave of alien adversaries, is officially headed to the big screen.

Although Hollywood has been burned time and time again in its quest to bring one-dimensional games to the big screen, apparently producers are still hoping to find that one property which completely alters the landscape. Enter Warner Bros. and Space Invaders, a video game without a story or a main character to speak of.

However, that isn’t stopping the studio from moving forward with the adaptation. According to Coming Soon, producers have found someone to pen a script based around the game’s admittedly simplistic scenario. 12 Rounds writer Dan Kunka was reportedly hired to bring Space Invaders to life, and he definitely has his work cut out for him.

Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, and Tory Tunnell will serve as producers on the Space Invaders movie. As of this writing, the studio hasn’t found anyone to star in the adaptation. Once Kunka hammers out a script that makes everyone happy, expect casting info to start bubbling to the surface. Assuming, of course, the project makes it that far.

Deadline points out that Kunka has a lot of projects making the rounds in Hollywood these days. In addition to Space Invaders, the writer also penned a story about wolves battling a horde of zombies. In other words, the guy isn’t at all afraid to tackle projects that are a little outside the norm. Yellowstone Falls is presently in development at Warner Bros., though little is known about the movie at the moment.

For those who aren’t overly familiar with the Space Invaders video game, the title was originally developed in 1978 by Tomohiro Nishikado, the man who also gave the world Chase HQ II: Special Criminal Investigation and the Super Nintendo RPG Lufia & the Fortress of Doom. Taito originally released the game in Japan though it was later picked up by Midway for distribution throughout the United States.

Although the game consumed its fair share of quarters during the arcade era, Space Invaders also found a very loyal fanbase on the Atari 2600. Over the years, the game has been copied, re-released, and remastered numerous times.

The game also inspired art exhibits and, oddly enough, an obscure disco song. For those who thrive on such things, check out Player 1’s forgotten ditty “Space Invaders” below.

Are you looking forward to the Space Invaders movie? Is this a good idea, or another Hollywood abomination waiting to happen?

[Lead image via Game Crew TV]