Still riding the wave of “Barbie’s” success, Margot Robbie is set to produce “The Sims” movie through her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The InSneider first reported the news.
Kate Herron, who directed and executive produced Marvel’s Disney+ series “Loki,” will direct and co-write with her longtime collaborator Briony Redman, according to THR. Herron and Redman most recently teamed up on an episode of “Doctor Who.” Herron is no stranger to video game adaptations; she‘s among the directors for the second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us.”
Rounding out the producing team are LuckyChap partners Josey McNamara and Robbie’s husband, Tom Ackerley, and Roy Lee and Miri Yoon for Vertigo Entertainment, THR reports. Lee worked as a producer on “The Lego Movie” franchise, so he’ll be bringing his own expertise in IP adaptations to this project.
Representatives for Robbie, Herron and Lee didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The Sims,” a popular life simulation video game, was first released by Maxis and Electronic Arts in 2000. More than 20 years after its launch, it remains one of the most popular video game franchises in the world, with an estimated 20 million unique players for its latest rendition, 2014’s “The Sims 4.”
“The Sims” came after the commercial success of “SimCity,” which was released in 1989 and followed by several spinoff series in the “Sims” world.
The allure of “The Sims” game is that users can create a life of their design. They can perform mundane tasks and experience everyday life via their virtual avatar, or they can play the game in a more illicit way, starting fires and wreaking havoc on their neighborhoods.
Will Wright was reportedly inspired to create the game after a fire burned down his home and caused him to question the meaning of material things and experience other existential pondering.
The project has not yet landed a studio, but Robbie’s LuckyChap has a multiyear feature film deal with Warner Bros.
After “Barbie” earned more than $1 billion globally, Mattel and other toy and game companies announced plans for a slew of similar adaptations of their IP, like “Barney” and “Hot Wheels,” many of which were in development before “Barbie” hit theaters.