Movie Version of Iconic ’90s Video Game in the Works
By Movieguide® Contributor
’90s kids, rejoice! A movie version of the popular video game OREGON TRAIL is in the works.
The movie is “in development at Apple,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, with “Will Speck and Josh Gordon attached to direct and produce.”
Speck and Gordon’s previous credits include movies like LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE, BLADES OF GLORY and OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY.
The Lucas Bros. and Max Reisman are writing the movie’s screenplay, which is expected to mirror the “hilariously dark” plotlines of the original video game.
EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will also serve as producers, in addition to providing some original music numbers for the movie.
THR reported that sources told the outlet OREGON TRAIL “will feature a couple of original musical numbers in the vein of BARBIE.”
OREGON TRAIL debuted in 1974, “designed as an educational computer game for students to learn the circumstances of 19th-century pioneer migration,” per Variety.
It became more popular in the ’80s and ’90s, as kids found humor in the “unintentional silliness” of many of the game’s storylines, the A.V. Club reported. “The most joyful thing about the original game, though, was how blithe it was about the fact that anyone embarking on the journey from Missouri to the West Coast had a pretty good chance of dropping dead from something.”
OREGON TRAIL isn’t the only video game making its way to the screen.
“There are currently four adaptations slated for release in 2025, including UNTIL DAWN, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, and the sequels to MORTAL KOMBAT (2021) and FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S,” Movie Web noted. “They’ll be followed by WATCH DOGS and STREET FIGHTER in 2026, and as of this writing, there are no less than 30 other IPs all in various stages of development.”
While video game adaptations might seem like a good bet for box office dollars, studios are finding out there are some pitfalls. A recent trailer for A MINECRAFT MOVIE went viral — and not in a good way.
READ MORE: WHY A MINECRAFT MOVIE’S FIRST TRAILER IS GETTING INTENSE BACKLASH
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