What game can command a four-studio bidding war for its film rights?

The 1979 Atari classic Asteroids.

Yeah, that Asteroids.

The Asteroids movie will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and written by Matthew Lopez. The movie's plot will be made from scratch, because, well, Asteroids had no plot. If you want an idea of what di Bonaventura is capable of, G.I. Joe: The Rise of The Cobra hits theaters August 7th.

Universal has won a four-studio bidding war to pick up the film rights to the classic Atari video game "Asteroids." Matthew Lopez will write the script for the feature adaptation, which will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

In "Asteroids," initially released as an arcade game in 1979, a player controlled a triangular space ship in an asteroid field. The object was to shoot and destroy the hulking masses of rock and the occasional flying saucer while avoiding smashing into both.

Akira_EX via hollywoodreporter.com »