Following Barbie's huge box office success and cultural footprint, Margot Robbie – who, let's not forget, shepherded the film to screens for years as well as starring — has, thanks to that and a variety of other movies, become a powerhouse producer of tricky projects (hello, Saltburn!) Along with her LuckyChap partners, she's now attached to help bring a film based on The Sims video games to life, with Loki's first season whizz Kate Herron aboard to co-write and direct.
The Sims was created by Will Wright (originally conceived as a satire of American consumer culture) and the first game hit shelves in 2000. A life simulator where you create characters and set them to achieving ambitions (or just going through the mundane motions), it has become hugely popular and evolved via expansion packs and sequels.
The game itself has no real narrative beyond that which players impose; remind you of anything? Herron, working with co-writer Briony Redman (with whom she has scripted an episode of the new series of Doctor Who), has come up with the concept to make it work as a movie. Roy Lee (Barbarian) is also aboard to produce the new film.
No studio or streamer has picked this one up yet, according to The InSneider newsletter, but given the people involved, we imagine it'll find a home soon. And given the continued success of video game adaptations in cinemas, could this ride the wave and become part of a new dominant genre?