Well folks, it’s finally happened. Angry Birds, one of the most popular mobile games of all time will be the basis for a movie to be released by Sony in 2016. The deal was announced in a press release earlier today:
CULVER CITY, Calif., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Pictures Entertainment has won the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the eagerly anticipated Angry Birds animated film, making it one of the most high-profile deals of the year. The 3D film is being developed, produced, and financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be released worldwide by Sony Pictures on July 1, 2016. Several major studios pursued the global film rights in recent weeks, with Sony Pictures Entertainment emerging as the winner.
Michael Lynton , Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal , Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Mikael Hed , CEO of Rovio Entertainment jointly announced their partnership today. John Cohen and David Maisel – producer of Despicable Me and executive producer of Iron Man, respectively – are both on board for the new Angry Birds feature film. Cohen will serve as producer and Maisel is executive producer.
The titular birds and their green pig nemeses got their start on iOS devices back in 2009. But soon the simple yet challenging gameplay and fun cartoon characters had made the game hugely popular and it soon moved to other devices. At this point, there are a myriad of sequels and spin offs on just about any platform you can imagine, and the Birds themed merchandise is flying off the shelf. I guess it was only a matter of time before a movie deal was inked.
Still, the timeline seems a little poorly thought out. Angry Birds might very well remain mega popular into 2016, but it’s a lot to bank on. A film (no matter how terrible -kids will watch anything) this year would be a guaranteed slam dunk at the box office.
[Via: Polygon]