Space Invaders set for Hollywood adaptation

They say that in space no-one can hear you scream. Which is probably a good thing as that’s likely what fans of 80’s arcade classic Space Invaders are doing in response to the news that the coin-op shooter is being lined up for a silver screen adaptation.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Gigi Prtizker, the producers behind the Transformers and GI Joe movies, are looking for writers to help pen the script for what is essentially a plotless game, with the duo also looking to get an Asteroids movie together too.

It’s a scary prospect; Space Invaders has no plot beyond blasting wave after wave of alien foes from a tiny defensive ship. It has brainless Michael Bay action flick written all over it, and must be up there with the most pointless adaptations of all time. This one is being sold on the universal recognition of the name and nothing else.

Having said that, the lack of a plot does give the film freedom beyond the usual constraints of game-to-movie adaptations. Disasters like the Bob Hoskins led Super Mario Brothers movie or Jean-Claude Van Damme Street Fighter disappointed as they strayed so far from the original vision of the games. Beyond blasting aliens, Space Invader doesn’t really have a vision, and could be moulded into practically anything.

So not all bad news then perhaps. Unless terminal game-to-movie directorial hack Uwe Boll gets his hands on it that is…