Apple has announced that “Tetris: The Movie” will join its Apple+ streaming service lineup of films from award-winning storytellers. With a release date set for March 31, 2023.
Starring Golden Globe Award-winner Taron Egerton (“Rocketman,” “Kingsman” franchise) and set to be directed by Jon S. Baird (“Stan & Ollie,” “Filth”), the film will be produced by Matthew Vaughn’s MARV and UNIGRAM, a sister company to AI Film in Blavatnik’s Access Industries Group.
Watch the Tetris: The Movie debut trailer:
“Tetris: The Movie” follows the extraordinary journey one of the most iconic computer games in the world. The drama tells the compelling story of the creation of Tetris born from the imagination of computer programmer Alexey Pajitnov, during the fall of the Iron curtain in the USSR. Egerton will play Dutch-born video game entrepreneur Henk Rogers who secured the global rights to distribute Tetris on video game consoles.
The original screenplay was written by two-time Emmy Award nominee Noah Pink (“Genius, The Show”). Matthew Vaughn (“Rocketman,” “Kingsman” franchise) will produce alongside Len Blavatnik (“I,Tonya”) and Unigram’s Gregor Cameron (“Kill Your Friends”) and Gillian Berrie (“Starred Up, Outlaw King”). Alwin Küchler (“Divergent,” upcoming “Prisoner 760”) will serve as cinematographer and Daniel Taylor (“Dream Horse,” “Britannia”) will serve as production designer on the project.
The project reunites MARV’s Matthew Vaughn and Taron Egerton following last year’s critically acclaimed “Rocketman,” which earned Egerton a Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award nomination. The two also previously collaborated on the “Kingsman” franchise, with Egerton delivering a breakout performance in “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which Vaughn directed, co-wrote and produced, and continued through “Eddie the Eagle.”
“Tetris: The Movie” is the first project to come from 2019’s tie-up between Unigram and AI Film, combining the creative reach of Unigram with AI Film’s finance and structuring apparatus. The film received support from Screen Scotland to help bring the production to the country.
“Tetris: The Movie” expands Apple’s original film slate which includes the critically acclaimed “On The Rocks,” from Academy Award-winner Sofia Coppola, and starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, and “Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds.” Apple TV+ will also soon premiere anticipated films upcoming “Swan Song” a genre-bending film starring Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris; “The Sky is Everywhere” starring Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones and Jason Segel; “Snow Blind,” with Jake Gyllenhaal attached to star; Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro; “Emancipation,” from director Antoine Fuqua and starring and produced by Academy Award nominee Will Smith; “Sharper,” a new film from A24, Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, starring and produced by Academy Award winner Julianne Moore; and Anthony and Joe Russo’s new film “Cherry,” starring Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo.
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod touch can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. This special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the eligible device.
Are you excited for Tetris: The Movie?
I know there was a graphic novel detailing the history of how Tetris became a worldwide hit. Found it! It was called Tetris: The Games People Play. This looks like the movie version of that book, although the story of how Tetris came to the Nintendo Game Boy in the 1980’s is widely known. Anyway, it looks like it’ll be a fun watch.