STRAY Movie Based on the Video Game Is Being Adapted by Annapurna Animation Studios; Plus a Few More Upcoming Adaptations Teased
Annapurna Animation is developing a new movie titled Stray, based on the video game of the same name, which was released last year. Following the success of the studio’s debut feature, Nimona, Annapurna Animation is ready to launch its next phase of movies.
The video game Stray puts players in control of a stealthy cat who must traverse an underground city populated by robots and mutant bacteria with the help of a friendly drone, B-12. The animated movie is in active development.
Robert Baird, who leads Annapurna Animation with Andrew Millstein, told EW of the project:
"This is a game that's all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it. It's a buddy comedy about a cat and a robot, and there's such a hilarious dynamic. So, there's comedy inherent in this, but there's not one human being in this movie. I think it's one of the reasons why the game was incredibly popular, that you are seeing the world through the point of view of an adorable cat. How did they pull that off, and how are we going to pull that off in the movie? We will, even though sometimes it feels impossible, but we know that's the essence of the game and the key to telling the story."
Baird went on to say that there's "something so emotional" that the creators are trying to capture when adapting the game to film. BlueTwelve Studio, he explains, described the game as having a "sort of 'hopepunk' vibe," a narrative concept that optimism is a form of resistance. "I love that term, hopepunk," he says. "I think, if we are going to do this adaptation justice, this is going to be the first and greatest hopepunk movie that's ever been made."
Other titles in Annapurna Interactive's gaming roster include the time-loop thriller Twelve Minutes, featuring the voice work of James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley; critically-acclaimed works like Florence, If Found... and Journey; mythic adventures like The Pathless and Ashen; and upcoming games like Cocoon, Thirsty Suitors, and Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth. Though the division heads won't reveal what other games they're considering for adaptation, Millstein does explain why Stray was the title they went to first.
"First off, it is just wildly popular. People engage in the game for a variety of reasons, and I think for us at Annapurna, working with different creative people, it's a puzzle. What is it about this game that is so popular? Then the question is, how do you adapt a game into longform storytelling that is incredibly respectful to the game itself and the audiences, but then also is film worthy? The process of that is always part of the challenge."
Are you looking forward to seeing Stray or any of these other titles adapted into movies?