Sony’s Pixels Film To Combine Sandler, Dinklage and… Q*bert
Sony Pictures Entertainment is making a film known as Pixels. The basic plot sees aliens take video footage of old arcade games to be a declaration of war. They then proceed to attack the earth in video game style ways (like in that episode of Futurama with the space invaders bit). The President (played by Kevin James) calls upon a 80’s video game champion and child hood friend Sam Brenner (played by Adam Sandler) who in turn recruits some “old-school arcaders” (played by Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to help him defeat the alien invasion.
However the star-studded cast isn’t just limited to professional actors. Sony has reached agreements with a number of publishers to use historic game characters in the film. The full list of characters in the film can be seen below, but highlights include Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Q*bert.
Pixels director, Chris Columbus had this to say.
“There would be no way to make the movie without these legendary characters – they are as important to the film as the roles that Adam, Kevin, Michelle, Peter, Josh, and Brian are playing. It was a real thrill to see everything come together exactly as we envisioned it, and we’re grateful to have all of these fantastic companies on board.”
Then Producer Allen Covert added.
“These classic characters are part of the DNA of the project, so it was critical that we work together to bring them on board. Fortunately, they were all extremely receptive. We approached them with a deep love for their characters and a respect for the elements that make them unique and iconic, and we’ve worked with the companies to incorporate those elements into the film.”
Pixels is set to launch in cinemas in May 2015, but it will also have a large presence at San Diego Comic Con, so if your luck enough to attend go and check it out.
Publishers and characters appearing in the film include:
- Atari® Interactive: (Asteroids®, Breakout®, Centipede® and Missile Command®)
- Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Frogger)
- BANDAI NAMCO Games Inc. (PAC-MAN, Galaga, and Dig Dug)
- Nintendo (Donkey Kong)
- Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. (Q*bert)
- Taito Corporation (Space Invaders)
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (Joust, Defender, Robotron and Wizard of Wor)
Also because Peter Dinklage is a part of the film it gave me an excuse to include this.
