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Tetris To Be Made Into a Live Action Film

Posted by Soulskill on from the followed-by-tetris-2:-revenge-of-the-tetrominoes dept.

SchrodingerZ writes: Threshold Entertainment has announced that it will be producing a live action film based on the Russian stacking game Tetris. Designed in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris has sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Threshold CEO Larry Kasanoff promises "a very big, epic sci-fi movie," explaining, "this isn't a movie with a bunch of lines running around the page. We're not giving feet to the geometric shapes." Kasanoff is known for his work with the video game films Mortal Kombat, and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, collectively grossing $105 million in revenue. The studio is planning "a story behind Tetris which makes it a much more imaginative thing," though no directors nor cast have been connected to the film. Threshold Entertainment teased the idea, saying "What you [will] see in Tetris is the teeny tip of an iceberg that has intergalactic significance."

28 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. April Fools? by Aereus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are we sure it's October 1st and not April 1st?

    1. Re:April Fools? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In the U.S. maybe, but in Russia, on the other side of the world, it is April 1st.

  2. The Last Blockfighter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Greetings, Blockfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada.

    1. Re:The Last Blockfighter by roman_mir · · Score: 2

      Tetris, the last BLOCKBUSTER.

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  3. Why? by rebelwarlock · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't... is there really nothing better that could be turned into a film? A good book, or perhaps even an original script? This seems like one of those films that should only be created when literally every other possible idea has already been done a few dozen times.

    1. Re:Why? by nine-times · · Score: 2

      Well I think what's most likely happening is, they're taking some random crappy scifi movie and shoe-horning some Tetris concept into it. Why? Because some jackasses will watch it just to see "the Tetris movie". It's the "Snakes on a Plane" brand of marketing. If you can't market your movie as being a good movie, market it as being a funny ironic bizarre movie.

    2. Re:Why? by jeffmeden · · Score: 2

      Why not?

      See this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

      It is based on tetris, but it is actually pretty good history illustration.

      Holy hell...

      "what's the point of it all/ when you're building a wall/ and in front of your eyes/ it disappears?"
      "pointless work for pointless pay/ this is one game I won't play"

      I just realized how Tetris is really just an analog for communism... Childhood Ruined.

    3. Re:Why? by Dogtanian · · Score: 2

      It's the "Snakes on a Plane" brand of marketing. If you can't market your movie as being a good movie, market it as being a funny ironic bizarre movie.

      To be fair, I don't think "Snakes on a Plane" was ever quite that cynically-minded in the first place; remember that, back when it happened, the "self-consciously cheesy B-style-movie" thing wasn't such a cliche, and they apparently changed the title to "Pacific Flight 121" at one point before Samuel L Jackson supposedly made them change it back. (I wonder if "Snakes on a Plane" was only originally intended to be a working title reflecting a high concept movie).

      Yes, they did reshoot and alter parts of the film in response to its pre-release Internet fame, but I don't think it started out as being cynical. It's only when soulless Hollywood t***s try ripping off and repeating the phenomenon that it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

      Of course, the irony with "Snakes on a Plane" is that despite becoming a massively-popular Internet meme, this didn't translate into box-office success. Despite heightened expectations of its performance, the film itself turned out to be a relative flop, so go figure.

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  4. Raiders of the Lost Arcade by OzPeter · · Score: 2

    That was what came to mind when I saw the headline .. Invaders .. possibly from space!

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  5. Are we sure Uwe Boll isn't available? by halivar · · Score: 2

    He's probably peeing his pants in excitement waiting for the phone call.

  6. i couldn't help it.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder if it'll be a BLOCK-BUSTER ;-)

    1. Re:i couldn't help it.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      And it will be full of classic one-liners

    2. Re:i couldn't help it.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      But it's the classic four-liners that will be the best parts.

  7. There's no script. by Oligonicella · · Score: 2

    I would imagine that this will be the kind of a movie that will be in the five dollar bin at Walmart's within a month of release. And there will be a lot of them that simply stay in that bin.

    1. Re:There's no script. by JanneM · · Score: 5, Funny

      I would imagine that this will be the kind of a movie that will be in the five dollar bin at Walmart's within a month of release. And there will be a lot of them that simply stay in that bin.

      At least they'll be neatly packed.

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    2. Re:There's no script. by rwise2112 · · Score: 3, Funny

      I would imagine that this will be the kind of a movie that will be in the five dollar bin at Walmart's within a month of release. And there will be a lot of them that simply stay in that bin.

      At least they'll be neatly packed.

      Well not too neatly, or they'll just disappear!

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  8. This is redundant by Millennium · · Score: 4, Informative

    The only Tetris movie that ever needed to be made has already been made. Any further attempts will necessarily pale in comparison.

  9. Lead Role by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Funny

    I assume Mr. T will get the lead role?

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  10. Book is better by allsorts46 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Eh, it'll never be as good as the book.

  11. Re:I give up. by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Funny

    First Battleship, now this.

    Hey, what ever happened to that Asteroids movie that they were supposed to be making?

    The director didn't lead the target and by the time the movie arrived the public's interest was elsewhere.

  12. perfect! the film ive been waiting for! by nimbius · · Score: 4, Funny

    "it shall run for 140 minutes in length, star shiah lebouf and will ferrel, be directed by Michael Bay in 3D, and be inexplicably green-lit for endless sequels until we produce a live action bejewelled starring the remaining cast of Firefly and a jar of expired mayonaisse."
    -Satan

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  13. The Prequel Has Already Been Announced by Compulawyer · · Score: 2

    Pong: Trapped Between Extremes

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    1. Re:The Prequel Has Already Been Announced by Compulawyer · · Score: 2

      Starring Christopher Walken, of course.

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  14. Obligatory Penny Arcade by zurmikopa · · Score: 2

    Obligatory Penny Arcade

    http://www.penny-arcade.com/co...

  15. This is Tricia Takanawa .... by clickety6 · · Score: 2

    This is Tricia Takanawa reporting from the opening night of "Tetris:The Movie". I am standing outside the cinema and there are lines and lines of people waiting to get in... Oh, wait, They all disappeared."

    --
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  16. Re:I give up. by Ksevio · · Score: 2

    I thought that was the best part of it! The plot basically made no sense and lots of unreasonable/impossible things happened, but after this huge setup of aliens and shields that prevent radar, for that 5-10 minutes they made it just like the game of firing on a grid coordinate and hoping to hit a ship!

  17. Minesweeper The Movie! by Blaskowicz · · Score: 2

    Minesweeper is an example this can be done, and it has been pretty well executed. See there :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  18. Could actually be good by BTWR · · Score: 2

    This *could* actually be good if they treat it like the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. That movie simply made a Good Pirate film, not really tying it to the ride at all (that being said I recently went to Disney World and it's interesting that they've retcon'd the ride into being all about the Depp films).

    I can easily see them making an Indiana Jones-type sci-fi film where there is one small scene involving an alien puzzle that sort-of resembles a Tetris puzzle. The protagonist lines up some block line in Tetris, a door opens and the movie continues. 30 seconds of reference to the game while otherwise being an independent sci-fi film.

    Also, that's why I had high hopes for Battleship. It had a competent director and all he had to do was use a decent Navy/boat script - that's all. They weren't confined to any sort of plot at all. Too bad they messed it up (and, to be fair, I have to admit that the climactic scene with the anchor/flipping the boat around was pretty neat).