Fox culturing Spore movie

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Oct 2, 2009 12:34 pm PT

Ice Age studio, director turning EA and Maxis evolution-civilization-space exploration sim into computer-animated movie.

The month before Spore went on sale last September, its creator, Will Wright, said the triple-platinum game might expand into films. And though the famed designer has since left Electronic Arts, the Spore movie idea apparently lived on. Today, Variety reports that 20th Century Fox is indeed making a computer-generated movie based on the evolution-civilization-space exploration sim.

Expect some Ice Age-like characters like these in the Spore movie.

The project is in development at Fox's Blue Sky Studios, the studio behind the tepidly reviewed Ice Age movies. Ice Age director Chris Wedge will direct, with Greg Erb and Jason Oremland, who wrote Disney's upcoming The Princess and the Frog, penning the script.

"I'm always looking for unique worlds to go to in animation," Wedge told Variety. "From every perspective--visually, thematically, and comedically--the world of Spore provides the potential to put something truly original on the screen."

Patrick O'Brien, vice president of Electronic Arts' licensing arm EA Entertainment, will produce the Spore movie, along with Lucy Bradshaw, vice president of the game's developer, Maxis. Wright, who founded Maxis, left the EA-owned studio earlier this year to form an entertainment think tank, Stupid Fun Club.

Other EA movie projects in development include The Sims, also at 20th Century Fox, and Army of Two, Dead Space, Dante's Inferno, and Mass Effect.

Worldwide, the PC edition of Spore has sold 3.2 million units to date. It has also inspired a number of expansions, such as Spore Galactic Adventures, and spin-offs, including Spore Creatures (DS), Spore Hero Arena (DS), Spore Hero (Wii), Spore Origins (mobile), and Spore Creature Keeper (PC).

225 Comments

  • personman1234

    Posted Jan 19, 2010 6:57 pm PT

    I really like the games but this is just going too far.

  • Giga-Goomba

    Posted Jan 14, 2010 5:24 pm PT

    I doubt it will work. Gaming movies have been attempted before and most of them were Epic Fails. The only video game Movie that was any good was tomb raider. Although if they made a Halo film or Advance wars, Then I would be interested

  • Spike2118

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 10:15 am PT

    They should make a Republic Commando movie not only was it an awesome game there is enough back story to make a good movie

  • bioghost

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 9:15 am PT

    Are the writers don't have enough creativity to release a good movie? Spore WTF!

  • PdPstyle

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 7:52 am PT

    um...lame?

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 5:42 am PT

    No offence but... WTF?!

  • brian_13un

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 5:39 am PT

    Great

  • xvuxboix

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 9:03 pm PT

    What if this worked (too bad it won't)?

    How in god's name would they develop a sequel? What would there be to expand on?

    Moral - set long term goals, kids

  • lamprey263

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 6:21 pm PT

    How funny, Fox, part of the media conglomerate News Corp, who run news channels like Fox News, that cater to Christian fringe groups that deny evolution and believe the earth is 6000 years old... they of all people are buying up movie rights to a game about evolution!! Bwahahaha!!

  • shemrom

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 6:17 pm PT

    Lovely, can't wait to see whats the story about.

  • melty3219

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 3:07 pm PT

    Hollywood must be out of ideas if they are to go through with this -.-

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 1:40 pm PT

    turning a game into a movie = fail
    turning a movie into a game = fail

    i dont want to be watching the same thing i play.
    i dont want to be playing the same thing i watch.

    the ONLY ONE i would be interested is an uncharted movie........NOTHING ELSE.

  • AdamWriter

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 12:02 pm PT

    @HitmanDante

    Mass Effect is done properly; as a video game.

  • The_Game_Jr

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 11:56 am PT

    To all gamers out here I just want to say that I notice something....
    Isn't it strange that it seems that many (if not most) potentially good writers with good imaginations works on videogames than movies these days? Movie storylines these days are total rubbish compared to videogames.
    Writers get back to Hollywood!! Save the movies!!

  • HitmanDante

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 11:23 am PT

    I must admit, though, I'd go see Mass Effect, if it was done properly.

  • HitmanDante

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 11:21 am PT

    This is a bad idea, through and through. The Sims would also be a horrible movie idea. I'd like to meet the fool(s) who thought to himself, "Hey, these would be great ideas for movies, because they did reasonably well as video games. Why not a full-feature length film ?"

  • BattleSword1

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 10:51 am PT

    The reason videogames are unique is because they're videogames. If every game ever released was turned into a movie, everyone would want to watch them instead of play them, and thus there would be entirely no point. Hitman sucked, Doom sucked, All 3 Resident Evils sucked. Is there a connection here (that's what she said) or is it just me?

  • commander1122

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 10:35 am PT

    why not half life the movie????????!!!!!!

  • commander1122

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 10:32 am PT

    my dinner = crap

  • payne6705

    Posted Oct 5, 2009 9:59 am PT

    I hate when hollywood takes games and turns them into movies they are just horrible they can't compress 5-10 hours of gameplay into an hour and a half or 2 hour movie and expect the fans to enjoy it..its just not possible

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