New Line adapting Space Invaders with Mortal Kombat’s Greg Russo
Following the large commercial and modest critical success of this year’s Detective Pikachu and the box office hit that was last year’s Rampage, it’s not hard to see that New Line Cinema would want to keep the video game adaptation streak going as they have begun development on a Space Invaders film with Greg Russo attached to script the project, according to Deadline.
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Russo is currently making waves in the industry thanks to his work scripting the upcoming Mortal Kombat film reboot for New Line Cinema, which also marks his debut screenplay, and is also currently attached to develop a Resident Evil film reboot and the sequel to Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the acclaimed manga and anime franchise Death Note.
Space Invaders is considered one of the greatest arcade games in history, setting the precedent for many shooter games going into the future and was one of the earliest games to popularize the high score achievement that would become a major trend among young gamers in the 1980s. The premise for the game, however, does lend curiosity to a film adaptation, as the only real story was putting players behind the controls of a laser cannon in order to prevent a descending alien invasion.
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The project will be produced by Weed Roads Pictures’ Akiva Goldsman alongside Safehouse Pictures’ Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell, with Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema distributing.
In addition to scripting the Mortal Kombat reboot, which begins shooting in South Australia later this year, Russo is also attached to script the film adaptation of Volition’s acclaimed action-adventure series Saints Row, with F. Gary Gray producing and directing the adaptation.
