Oct. is Where the Wild Things Are

Back in July 2008, it seemed that Spike Jonze's film adaptation of the 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are was going nowhere. It was originally slated for release in October 2008, but Warner Bros. axed the movie from its release schedule after initial screenings reportedly made young viewers cry and flee from the theater. However, following some tweaking, the film was reslated for its current release date: October 16, 2009.

With the film situation in hand, Warner Bros.' game division, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, finalized plans for its game adaptation, which GameSpot previewed at last month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. The game will launch alongside the film in October, albeit on an unspecified day, on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and DS.

Like Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, the action-adventure game of the same name is based on the book's storyline, written by Maurice Sendak. Players control the boy protagonist Max as he runs away from home and sails to the enchanted island of the wild things. The isle is filled with a menagerie of fearsome yet benevolent monsters who crown the boy as the King of All Wild Things. Each behemoth is endowed with unique abilities, which can be used to help Max and the creatures escape the island before it's destroyed.

According to Variety, the Where the Wild Things Are game was originally in development at Brash Entertainment, founded by Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, a producer of the upcoming film. However, he bolted from Brash the month before the film-to-game production house shuttered its doors in November 2008. WayForward is developing the DS edition, while Amaze Entertainment is responsible for all other platform versions.