Video game movies are all the rage these days. What was once considered a guaranteed flop at the box office has seen a resurgence over the last few years as major producers and names across all kinds of industries rush to be a part of the next major video game movie.
Of course, with everyone trying to make these, licenses for the bigger names are getting picked up fast and not everyone can be making the next ‘Super Mario’ movie. This also means we’re seeing some surprise announcements such as on Monday from the Hollywood Reporter when it reported that Steph Curry’s company Unanimous Media alongside Amazon Studios would be helping produce a ToeJam & Earl movie.
The 1990s SEGA video game ToeJam & Earl is in the works as a feature film at Amazon Studios, also hailing from Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media and Story Kitchen.
ToeJam & Earl, created by Mark Voorsanger and Greg Johnson, centers on two space-alien rappers who come to Earth seeking a cure for the disease eradicating their home planet’s rhythm, funk and groove.
Let’s be honest here. ToeJam & Earl was likely not on the list of names people were expecting to get a video game adaptation anytime soon. It’s a franchise from the SEGA Genesis era of games and became popular largely thanks to a bumpin’ soundtrack, as well as just being really weird. It was set in odd locales, had randomly generated levels, and wasn’t afraid of making a burp or fart joke. It was a really unique game at the time, but not something you would expect to get a movie.
That oddness and chance for a blank slate open world are maybe what was so intriguing about the franchise to producers. There’s really no limit to the number of weird ideas you can put in this movie with the only real expectation being that it has a good soundtrack. As long as that’s accomplished then it should leave at least some fans satisfied.