Angry Birds Movie Set To Catapult Onto The Big Screen

Angry Birds developer Rovio is set to turn the hit franchise into a Hollywood movie, and the process is already underway. Former Marvel Chairman David Maisel is working with Rovio as a special advisor, and he told Variety “There has been so much chatter about an Angry Birds movie, but it’s now real, the process is starting now.”

Before you get to critical about this, Maisel was one of the people that spearheaded Marvel’s decision to create its own independent film studio, which brought the likes of Iron Man and Thor to cinemas. Slightly ironically, he was also instrumental in the sale of Marvel Studios to Disney, for $4 Billion.

So, it would seem that the juggernaut that is Angry Birds is still showing no signs of slowing up. The game, which has been downloaded over 250 million times, can only be described as a sensation. In a very short space of time, the characters have become ubiquitous across the world. This is something Rovio is looking to take advantage of, and the company has been doing so already, with the release of plush toys and a promotional tie-in with movie, Rio.

“People are interacting with these characters six inches from them each time they play, and that creates an emotional connection,” Maisel added. “This is not an American thing. It’s not even a Finnish thing. It’s a global thing that’s something I’ve never seen before. It will be exciting to expand within Hollywood.”

The movie has no date as of yet, and will be in early pre-production, but this is exciting news nonetheless. Rovio could be an entertainment powerhouse in a few years time if its current plans are successful and the company manages to match the success of angry birds with a new intellectual property, which will almost certainly be the hard part.

Watch out Pixar, Rovio is coming for you.

Source: Variety via The Guardian