A film based on the cult video game “The Sims” is currently in development, Electronic Arts confirmed Tuesday, hoping to replicate the excitement generated by recent adaptations of the Mario and Sonic universes for the big screen.
The company made the project public at an investor conference after months of rumors. It will work with Amazon MGM Studios to bring “The Sims” to the big screen.
Since its first opus released in 2000, this video game – where the player can customize everything, from the furniture in the house to the relationships of his avatars – has established itself as a franchise known throughout the world.
The four games released in 25 years have sold more than 200 million copies and Electronic Arts is currently preparing a multiplayer version.
The film is to be directed and co-written by Kate Herron, a filmmaker known for the Marvel series “Loki” and the Netflix soap opera “Sex Education.”
Described by their creator as a “virtual dollhouse,” games in “The Sims” franchise typically have no specific goals or plot.
Several generations of players have seized this space of freedom, without prohibitions or norms: the first game already allowed homosexual relationships and, since “The Sims 2”, a man’s body can give birth.
Details about the film are scarce and no release date has been set. But the movie will be “very much rooted” in the games’ universe and will feature many elements of “The Sims” story, Electronic Arts executive Kate Gorman told Variety magazine.
LuckyChap, the company owned by actress Margot Robbie, which is behind the film adaptation of the global hit “Barbie,” is set to produce the movie about “The Sims.”
“We wanted the right partners and having an impact similar to a Barbie movie is exactly what we want,” Gorman said.
The peroxide doll film dominated the global box office last year.
Not far behind, “Super Mario Bros. the Movie”, based on the adventures of Nintendo’s famous plumber, has established itself as the second biggest commercial success of 2024.
Other recent Hollywood hits inspired by video games include “Sonic the Hedgehog,” about Sega’s blue hedgehog, and “The Last of Us” series.
