This has been a huge week for video game movies. Adaptations of both Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Deus Ex: Human Revolution took major steps forward, with the former attaching Tom Hardy to star and the latter signing Sinister helmer Scott Derrickson to direct. And today brings big news for another film based on a game currently in the works - the difference is that this one is quite old school
Variety has learned that the movie version of Asteroids is picking up again, as a new writer has been hired to go over the script. The trade says that Jez Butterworth, who wrote the Doug Liman-directed true-life CIA drama Fair Game in 2010, has been hired by Universal Pictures to do a rewrite of an existing script for the Atari title written by Matt Lopez and Evan Spiliotopoulos.. The project was first announced in 2009 and in 2011 there was talk that famed disaster pic maker Roland Emmerich would sign on to make it, but the new report doesn't mention the German filmmaker's name. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, best known for producing blockbusters like the Transformers films and Red is attached to the project.
Butterworth's name was actually just recently in the news, as the James Brown biopic that he wrote is now making its ways towards production. Tate Taylor, best known for The Help, was recently hired to helm the film and Mick Jammer is on as a producer with Brian Brazer. That project is currently searching for distribution and an actor to play the lead role.
