It’s fair to say that the 1979 Atari arcade game, Asteroids, wasn’t exactly hot on plot (it was essentially a triangle shooting at blocky blobs), but it’s got a recognisable name, and the possibility of a tie-in with a new, updated version of the shooter, and so Hollywood has decided it must be made into a movie! Now Universal, which is planning the flick, is looking around for directors, and according to Vulture, they’ve set their sights on Roland Emmerich, helmer of Independence Day, the Day After Tomorrow and Godzilla.
After 2012, Emmerich promised it would be his last disaster movie (other than the long-gestating Independence Day sequel, which he’s still working on), but Asteroids is apparently set after the destruction of Earth, so he’s got a technical get-around there! Universal has now offered him the directing reins of Universal, although as yet it’s not known if he’s interested in taking them.
Vulture says that film is set when ‘The remnants of human civilization are now living on far-flung colonies within an asteroid belt alongside aliens. The survivors were led to believe that this alien civilization was benevolent, rescuing them from doom, but ultimately discover that the aliens have engineered Earths destruction, and soon will do the same for the rest of humankind.’ It’s been writting by Matt Lopez.
To be honest, while Emmerich has said no more disaster and is now courting controversy with his upcoming ‘Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays flick’, Anonymous, his action epics were dumb but a lot of fun, something few directors can pull off without insulting the audience. So a return to the action arena wouldn’t be a bad thing.