Tetris, the well-loved mobile game with more than 500 million downloads, is set to hit the big screens. (Photo : Twitter)
The film adaptation of the epic video game Tetris has pencilled in a gigantic $80 million funding made even sweeter by a tandem between Chinese and American producers.
China's Bruno Wu and U.S.-based Larry Kasanoff have formed Threshold Global Studios, a venture that will produce the three-part adaptation of the popular game. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trilogy is being marketed as an "epic sci-fi thriller."
Kasanoff, producer of "Mortal Kombat," was said to be at the Cannes Film Festival to meet with international sales agents.
In an official statement gathered by THR, the partners said that "the team has been working with The Tetris Company for over a year, and with the formation of Threshold Global Studios, financing has been secured, the story has been created, and now Wu and Kasanoff will co-produce."
"Threshold Global will make cross-cultural movies for the global market," the partners said.
Reports indicate that Threshold's Jimmy Lenner will be the executive producer working with Wu's Seven Stars and The Tetris Company.
Los Angeles-based line producer Dane Allan Smith will be tasked to implement the unique visual effects developed specifically for "Tetris the Movie."
The adaptation is expected to be one of the largest films co-produced by the U.S. and China.
"Tetris the Movie" will feature local talents, with at least one-third of the cast coming from China, according to China.org. The trilogy will also be filmed in the country, with plans of shooting by 2017.
Aside from the film, merchandise items and a theme park inspired by the 32-year-old game are also said to be in the works.
"Tetris the Movie" is the next big news in the world of mobile app games jumping to the big screen after the "Angry Birds Movie" disrupted global box-office records.
Tetris, which started as an arcade recreation in the 1980s, has been downloaded more than 500 million times as a mobile app game.
