Margot Robbie Is Producing a Movie Based On an Iconic Computer Game

By Andrew Sanford | Film | March 22, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | March 22, 2024 |

I didn’t understand what a Barbie movie would be. She’s a doll and yes, there is plenty of lore attached to her, but that can hinder an adaptation just as much as it could help. Just look at most comic book movies. They quickly become alienating when relying on an audience with intimate knowledge of character backstories. Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and crew presented an engrossing story with universal themes, successfully using the “perfect” doll as a metaphor for womanhood. It rules.

Despite knowing that Robbie has already knocked an adaptation out of the park, I was a little thrown off by the announcement of her newest venture. If you’ll recall, after the success of Barbie, Mattel announced a plan to adapt more of their toys into films. Hot Wheels and Magic Eight Balls made the list of properties they hoped to spin into movies or TV shows. While she isn’t producing any of those (yet), The Hollywood Reporter says Robbie is throwing her creative power behind another property: The Sims.

The first installment of The Sims was released in the year 2000! In that time, there have been numerous sequels and spinoffs. The Sims is a life simulation game where players can create human beings and watch them live life while helping them navigate things like work, love, and loss. Seriously. Make a Sim go swimming, take away the pool ladder, and watch the Grim Reaper arrive and drag them to a pixelated afterlife. The games have been a massive success and will now jump to the big screen.

The production will be a joint venture between LuckyChap (Robbie’s production company), Vertigo Entertainment, and Electronic Arts. There aren’t any story or cast details yet, but Loki director Kate Herron will direct the film and co-write the screenplay with upcoming Doctor Who scribe Briony Redman. Getting someone like Herron, who managed to make multiversal madness make sense, feels like a step in the right direction.

I’ve learned my lesson. Just because I couldn’t see what an adaptation could be doesn’t mean the people involved don’t. Barbie was one of my favorite movies last year. There is plenty to be garnered from a property about living life if the creative team seeks to do something meaningful. Sure, a story about life not based on a massive IP would be great, but that’s not the world we live in. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but as long as this crew doesn’t get their ladder taken away, they’ve got a good chance to create something special.