The golden era of video game adaptations continues with the news that there’s a new live-action movie based on everyone’s favorite ’80s pellet-munching digital character – Pac-Man.
The movie comes from the original company behind the character, Bandai Namco Entertainment, and Wayfarer Studios, whose principal is Jane the Virgin acting alum Justin Baldoni, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The idea for the proposed live action film comes courtesy of Chuck Williams, the producer of the 2020 hit Sonic the Hedgehog.
In the game, Pac-Man must navigate a maze and eat pellets while avoiding colorful ghosts. It’s a very popular franchise with a slew of adaptations and merchandise over the years. As to how the new movie will incorporate live action, that remains to be seen.
The original came came out in 1980 and a morning cartoon ran on ABC from 1982-1983. In 2013, Disney XD ran the show Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. Wayfarer studios recently announced a $125 million investment to boost growth. It recently produced the Disney Plus film Clouds, the football movie The Senior and the dramedy Empire Waist.
Pac-Man the character has appeared in a few movies over the years, notably the Adam Sandler/Kevin James flop Pixels, and the Wreck-It Ralph sequel. News of the film means that Pac-Man joins the ranks of several other video game properties in the works, including an untitled Super Mario movie starring Chris Pratt; an adaptation of the dystopian zombie game The Last of Us; a show based on Fallout, and a movie based on Borderlands.
There are a number of other ’80s properties on the horizon as well, including movies based on Mattel properties Uno, Matchbox cars and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em, according to Variety. There’s also a highly publicized version of Barbie on the way, starring Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell and Margot Robbie.
In 2005, Guinness World Records honored Pac-Man by calling it the “most successful coin-operated game machine.”
