As nostalgic interest in the arcade world continues to grow, studios in Hollywood aren’t missing out on the chance to capitalize on it. The 1986 Bally Midway classic, Rampage, is getting the red-carpet treatment, with a film featuring Dwayne Johnson slated for release in 2018. Additionally, a Wall Street Journal article reports that Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind Despicable Me, Minions and Secret Life of Pets, is in talks to bring Mario and Luigi back to the big screen with an animated Super Mario Bros movie.
The deal would follow what many call a commercially and critically disastrous attempt at a Super Mario Bros movie that was released in 1993. Nintendo’s corral of characters may be tempting for studios looking for globally-recognizable faces, but the history of successful game-to-film adaptations is dismal, nearing non-existent. Will an action-packed, CGI-laden Rampage film change that? Or will the chance to break the video game movie curse fall once again on two Italian brothers? Check the Rampage trailer here, and keep your eyes peeled for any other classic arcade games headed to stardom!