CNET: Future blockbuster? Tetris to become 'epic sci-fi' movie

The classic falling-blocks video game is set to become a major motion picture taking place in a sci-fi universe.

by Amanda Kooser @akooser September 30, 2014 12:36 PM PDT

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the still crazy-popular video game Tetris. What started as a bunch of falling blocks back in 1984 has grown into a massive franchise with over 425 million paid mobile downloads alone. That's not including the early iterations of the game for personal computers and gaming consoles. Simply conquering the gaming world is not enough for Tetris. It's now destined to become a motion picture.

Details are extremely sketchy, but the Tetris Company announced today it is partnering with Threshold Entertainment to make the video game into a film. Threshold has some experience with shepherding video-game products into live-action film form, having produced two "Mortal Kombat" movies.

In a press release, Threshold Chairman Larry Kasanoff describes the upcoming production as an "epic sci-fi story." No information on casting or storyline has been given yet.

It will be interesting to see how a screenwriter transforms a game starring inanimate objects into a live-action experience. It's hard to imagine the movie would star an anthropomorphic block, so it's more likely Tetris will be a part of the environment of the sci-fi world rather than an actual character.

"We look forward to partnering with Threshold Entertainment to re-imagine that common experience and bring a spectacular new Tetris universe to the big screen for the first time," says Henk Rogers, managing director of the Tetris Company. "In this new universe, as you'll soon find out, there's much more to Tetris than simply clearing lines."

Will the Tetris movie end up being the next "Wing Commander" or will it reach the heady heights of the original "Mortal Kombat?" Maybe it will settle somewhere in "Silent Hill" or "Tomb Raider" territory. It's probably best for all involved if director Uwe Boll (responsible for "House of the Dead" and "In the Name of the King") stays far, far away from this project.