Hollywood is fighting an addiction and it’s losing. The success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has sparked a movement that has seen the announcement of other toy-based projects and — to no one’s surprise — yet another is on the way. According to Deadline, Story Kitchen is pairing up with Toys ‘R’ Us Studios (no, we didn’t know that existed either) to bring the world something that none of us asked for — a live-action film. No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This project will somehow be a live-action movie about the chain of stores that has been closed for a handful of years.
From the original report, the movie is looking to harness favorites like Night at the Museum, Big, Jumanji, and other beloved titles to pull its plot together. Essentially, the production will lean heavily on the nostalgia factor that comes with the store’s name, pandering to the millennial crowd, with Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg echoing this sentiment in a statement that reads,
“Toys’R’Us is a cultural touchstone that continues impacting the child in all of us today. As ‘80s kids who considered Toys’R’Us one of the most magical places on Earth, we’re honored to partner to create a film that will capture the spirit of adventure, creativity and nostalgia that Toys’R’Us represents.”
With more than enough experience in the game of bringing beloved IP to the big screen, Story Kitchen’s Johnson holds credits as a producer on such favorites as the Sonic the Hedgehog feature-length franchise as well as numerous Tomb Raider projects. Partnering with multiple studios, the company has a first-look deal with Amazon for television projects and a first-look deal with DreamWorks Animation for animated features.
The Obsession with Toy-Centered Content
We get it: Barbie was a mega success at the box office, so naturally, studios want to piggyback on that popularity and come up with their own content. At the same time, how many toy-based productions are too many? The answer is we’ve already hit that point, but there’s just no slowing down now. Especially when movies like Minecraft which, while technically not a “toy” could be considered to fall into the same category, are making beaucoup dollars at the box office. Also in the works are a Matchbox movie and a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots adaptation. With no sign of slowing down, toy movies are simply here to stay.
As of right now, the Toys ‘R’ Us movie doesn’t have a release window, but stay tuned to Collider for more information.
via Collider