The rumors nobody was spreading are true.Tetrisis getting its own movie, and not only has Apple acquired the rights to distribute it, but it will star the faux Rocket Man himself, Taron Egerton.
Fortunately, it’s not going to be about a post-apocalyptic galaxy-spanning conflict where aliens can only be defeated with the power of perfectly aligned blocks and friendship. Or perhaps the correct term is “unfortunately.” No, this film will star Egerton as Henk Rogers, the real-life entrepreneur who bought the distribution rights forTetris, ensuring that history’s most popular puzzle video game wouldachieve its widespread potentialon home consoles.
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Of course, he’s not the story’s main character, since mainly only a very niche crowd of rich people andMad Moneyfans would crowd around such a tale. The film will tell the story behindTetrisand how Russian designer Alexey Pajitnov created the global phenomenon. Set during the fall of the USSR’s Iron Curtain, a transformative time for Europe at the end of theCold War,Tetris: The Moviesets out to bring mainstream exposure to the man who inspired a million mobile rip-offs.
Screenwriter Noah Pink, known for his work on the Primetime Emmy-winning National Geographic seriesGenius, has come on board to write the film. Meanwhile, Jon S. Baird will direct. Baird recently directed2018’sStan & Ollie, a loving tribute to classic comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, which gained generally favorable reviews. (On a side note, please go watch some Laurel & Hardy films and then seeStan & Ollie. It’s very good. It’s available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. It’s cool. Shameless plugs are fine if it’s someone else’s work, right?)
This won’t be Egerton’s first rodeoin the biopic world. His performance as Elton John in 2019’sRocketmanimpressed critics and crowds alike, while his earnestly sweet take on the titular character in 2016’sEddie the Eaglegarnered its fair share of praise despite the film’s uber-schmaltzy tone. Clearly, this will be a decidedly different type of character compared to those other two, but hey, there wouldn’t be anything inherently wrong with, say, a deleted scene featuring his character randomly breaking into “I’m Still Standing” for no discernible reason.
Apple’s acquisition ofTetris: The Moviemay signify that the film will remain confined to their Apple TV+ streaming platform, though depending how long it takes, there’s always a chance it will have a shot at theaters if the pandemic is under control by the time it releases. Nevertheless, in this age of binging documentaries, unsolved mysteries, and other true stories, odds are this little biopic will enjoy some quality couch time.
