First ASTEROIDS, now SPACE INVADERS?

Nordling here.

"I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve... watch as I fire upwards THROUGH OUR OWN SHIELD!"

It was announced last month that Roland Emmerich may well be directing a feature film based on 1980s classic arcade game ASTEROIDS, and now according to the Hollywood Reporter, it looks like SPACE INVADERS is coming to the big screen as well.  The film will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has already brought back such 80s mainstays as G.I. JOE and TRANSFORMERS as well as developing the aforemetioned ASTEROIDS, along with producer Gigi Pritzker.

For those unfamiliar, SPACE INVADERS was one of the very first arcade cabinet games and was hugely popular.  In it, the player controlled a portable gun from left to right as alien cloumns slowly descended to Earth.  Once the aliens hit the ground, the game was over.  I can't imagine how a film would capture the sense of impending doom as we mourn the loss of our spare change, but it's possible.

We've had so many alien invasion films that I don't know how a film based on SPACE INVADERS would bring anything unique to the concept.  It seems as if they just want to cash in on the title.  Perhaps the film will be about a squad of soldiers in a tank shooting at the incoming aliens.  di Bonaventura certainly loves the 1980s, it seems, and with this film and ASTEROIDS, all that seems to be missing is a PAC-MAN film.  Although if someone adapted DEFENDER?  I'd probably love it, as that was my favorite space game of the 80s.  I especially loved shooting all the people below and watching the world explode.  Put THAT in a movie, somebody!

Nordling, out.