OREGON TRAIL Action Comedy Film in Development at Apple Studios
The classic grade school computer game Oregon Trail is getting a feature film adaptation, and it’s in development at Apple Studios.
Like many of you, I remember playing this game all of the time when I was a kid. It was a treat to get to sit at the computer desk and play games at school!
The film is described as an action comedy, and it will be directed and produced by Will Speck and Josh Gordon with The Lucas Bros. ( Judas and the Black Messiah) and Max Reisman writing the script. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul set to provide original music and produce.
The film is “meant to mimic 19th-century pioneer times, following a covered wagon train heading west.” It’s also reported that the movie will feature a couple of original musical numbers in the vein of Barbie.
Oregon Trail is a hilariously dark survival simulation game that puts players in charge of a wagon party journeying across the 19th-century American frontier.
Players manage resources, make choices, and face a series of randomized obstacles like rivers, wild animal attacks, illness, and severe weather.
The game’s charm lies in the constant and unrelenting series of misfortunes, from dysentery and snakebites to food shortages and sudden death.
The game’s pixelated graphics and simplistic text descriptions make each calamity unexpectedly funny, especially as it coldly informs players of family members falling ill or the entire party being swept away in a river after an unlucky crossing attempt.
The hilarity of Oregon Trail comes from the contrast between its educational intentions and the often absurd, tragic situations that arise. Meant to teach children about the hardships of westward expansion, the game instead found its way into popular culture as players desperately attempted to make practical decisions, only for misfortune to strike with grim regularity.
It’ll be interesting and fun to see how this movie turns out!
Source: THR