Break out the covered wagons and gather the settlers becauseanOregon Trailmovie is officially in the works atApple. Yes,thatOregon Trail, the text-based strategy game that first debuted in 1971 in which you assume the role of a pioneer in 1847 trying to lead people from Missouri to Oregon, hunting, gathering, and trying not to die from starvation and dysentery along the way.
PerThe Hollywood Reporter,Oregon Trailis stillin the very early stages of development, with the duo of Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades of Glory,Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile) attached to both direct and produce. It’s said to fallwithin the action-comedy genre, and will even include a couple of musical numbers, with composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul on board to provide original songs. Max Reisman (The Millers) and The Lucas Brothers (Judas and the Black Messiah) are set to pen the screenplay, and Caroline Fraser will also serve as a producer through HarperCollins Productions.
Developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger,Oregon Trailwent fromhumble beginnings to cult-like status over the yearsas it entered classrooms across the nation, eventually being released on the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, and the Commodore 64. It later ditched the text-based strategy aspect to include graphics as technology advanced, and it was so popular that it spawned an entire franchise of games, includingOregon Trail II,The Oregon Trail: Gold Rush,The Oregon Trail: American Settlermobile game, andThe Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valleyboard game that was released in 2018. The latest incarnation is currently available to purchase across all major gaming platforms, including PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Video Game Adaptations Are All the Rage These Days
While Hollywood has always had an affinity for video games going as far back as the early ’90s with such adaptations asSuper Mario Bros.,Street Fighter,Double Dragon, andMortal Kombat, they’ve never been as hot as they are right now. 2023’sThe Super Mario Bros. Moviebecame the highest-grossing film based on a video game, earning a massive $1.3 billion dollars at the box office. As such, every studio exec from Los Angeles to London has been trying to get in on the action, deciding which games to bring to life next.
There are currently four adaptations slated for release in 2025,includingUntil Dawn,A Minecraft Movie, and the sequels toMortal Kombat(2021) andFive Nights at Freddy’s. They’ll be followed byWatch DogsandStreet Fighterin 2026, and as of this writing, there are no less than 30 other IPs all in various stages of development.
The 15 Best Video Game Movie Adaptations, Ranked
Here’s a ranking of the most noteworthy, impactful video game movie adaptions to date.
While it remains to be seen how successful anOregon Trailadaptation will be, if it has the right cast it could be a lot of fun. We’re picturing Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart arguing over which direction the sun sets, or perhaps Steve Carell and Amy Adams deciding which of their children is worth feeding the last piece of rabbit to. It may seem silly, but there’s definitely potential there for Apple to have a hit on their hands at a time when so many of their other original movies are struggling to find an audience.
