“The Last of Us” should be very scared right now, because the world’s best video game is getting the adaptation it deserves. “Tetris,” a biographical film about the development behind one of the most iconic video games ever, will premiere on Apple TV+ March 31, the company announced Thursday. The news was accompanied by a trailer for the film, showing star Taron Egerton as Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers.

For those who (somehow) have never heard of it, “Tetris” is a 1984 video game from Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov that requires the player to sort differently shaped pieces on a playing field, attempting to complete lines in order to remove blocks and get the highest score possible before the screen fills up. Its simple but addictive gameplay made it immediately successful, and when a version was ported to the Game Boy handheld in 1989, the game became a worldwide smash. Around 495 million copies of the various ports and versions have been sold globally, and the game has become enshrined in popular culture to the extent that studies have been conducted on how it can impact people’s brain functions.

“Tetris” the film tells the story of how “Tetris” the game became the hit it did, focusing on Rogers’ quest to get the franchise onto the Game Boy — a process that involved negotiations with Soviet Union officials and several messy legal battles. Nikita Yefremov plays Pajitnov, while Toby Jones, Roger Allam, Anthony Boyle, Togo Igawa, Ken Yamamura, Ben Miles, and Matthew Marsh play various figures involved in the legal dispute.

The film comes from Jon S. Baird, a Scottish director best known for his 2018 feature “Stan & Ollie.” Noah Pink, the creator of the National Geographic series “Genius,” penned the screenplay. Matthew Vaughn produces the film via his Marv Studios banner, while Leonard Blavatnik produces for AI Films. Gregor Cameron and Gillian Berrie serve as additional producers on the project.

Before its streaming debut, “Tetris” will cast down its multicolored blocks for a world premiere at SXSW on March 15. Watch the full trailer for the movie below.

Source: Read Full Article