Yes, there really is a movie about Tetris coming soon. In fact, the film — directed by Jon S. Baird and starring Taron Egerton — has already been shot. Production wrapped on the movie last spring, and the project was recently acquired by Apple for its Apple TV+ streaming service.
The title is slightly misleading, as the film is less about the game itself than its creation. Sorry, Egerton is not playing a precocious T-shaped block who desperately wants to fall in love with an I-shaped block that he keeps waiting and waiting and waiting for but just never shows up when you really need it.
There were plans at one point to make a more sci-fi oriented Tetris film adaptation, but those plans fell through. Instead, Egerton plays Henk Rogers, one of the men who was critical to the development and success of Tetris the video game. So why make a movie about the making of a game? Producer Matthew Vaughn explained the plot — and the appeal of the project in a new interview with Collider.
While he conceded that he initially thought “What moron came up with this idea, making a sort of a political Cold War thriller about Tetris?” once he learned the full story he said…
‘Okay, we better make the movie then. If this really did happen, let’s make it.’ Then I got to meet the characters in real life. You know, the Russian that invented Tetris, the crazy American that literally went behind the Cold War curtain and risked everything and stole the bloody thing and brought it back to America. I said, ‘this is a great, great original thriller.’ It’s sort of like imagine The Big Short meets Bridge of Spies. It’s sort of a crazy, unique story.
Look, this sounds very interesting. I like the idea of a spy thriller about a video game. I will definitely watch this — on one condition. It’s got to have this song in it.
If Taron Egerton isn’t running for his life in one scene while this song plays, I ain’t interested. I’m sorry. I will not accept any compromises about this.
Tetris will premiere on Apple TV+ in the future.
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