Get ready to do some nom and waka waka as you join Pac-Man in his pursuit of ghosts. The popular arcade game Pac-Man will soon be adapted into a huge live-action feature.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., developers of Pac-Man and other arcade classics like Galaga and Tekken, and Wayfarer Studios have announced their intention to collaborate on a live-action film adaptation of the Pac-Man video game series.
The film adapts one of the most important and longest-running video game series in history, based on an original story idea devised by Chuck Williams (Sonic the Hedgehog, Brother Bear) of Lightbeam Entertainment. Players take control of Pac-Man, who must navigate increasingly complex mazes in order to avoid being eaten by ghosts of varying colours. Even 40 years after Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (then simply known as Namco) introduced the original Pac-Man arcade video game in 1980, the character has retained widespread cultural significance. Wayfarer Studios, which recently secured a $125M investment to help accelerate the company’s strategic expansion, has hired developers Justin Baldoni, Manu Gargi, Andrew Calof, and Tracy Ryerson.
Wayfarer Studios’ future slate includes not only the Disney+ film Clouds but also the football drama The Senior and the coming-of-age drama Empire Waist. In addition to Tim Kwok, Williams will be producing for Lightbeam. For many people all around the world, Pac-Man is almost associated with video games in general and coin-operated arcade games in particular. In Japan, the video game was released in October 1980 under the name “Puck-Man,” but it went on to greater success when it was released in the United States with its current title.
Fanaticism for the arcade game, dubbed “Pac-Man fever,” spawned extensive advertising and merchandising campaigns, including more than 400 products and two TV shows in the United States. In fact, it spawned hugely successful spinoffs like Ms Pac-Man, who were featured extensively in Friends’ last season finale. Due to its immense success, Pac-Man was named the “Most Successful Coin-Operated gaming machine” by Guinness World Records in 2005. Its popularity has grown over the past four decades because of the annual release of new console games and the rise of mobile gaming.
Williams has worked in editorial for the 1992 Disney masterpiece Aladdin and in animation for the 1989 Disney classic The Little Mermaid in addition to producing Sonic: The Hedgehog and Brother Bear. Williams is credited as a producer on the movie version of Tor Seidler’s novel Mean Margaret. The Legend of Tembol will have him in directing and producing roles alongside Aaron Blaise.