Another Pricey Commercial? Margo Robbie's Next Big Title Already Stirs Controversy
Perhaps, it's too early to make any assumptions.
Summary
- Many people have criticized Barbie for being an expensive advertisement for the Mattel brand.
- Margot Robbie's studio is said to be producing a movie based on a popular video game.
- The movie could be as successful as Barbie.
The 96th Academy Awards took place a few weeks ago, but it's still being discussed among movie fans. As expected, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer took home seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Meanwhile, its main rival, Barbie, only won Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell's What Was I Made For?
Needless to say, many fans of the $1.44 billion-grossing film were upset with the results. But more importantly, people were shocked that Barbie's writer/director Greta Gerwig wasn't even nominated for writing or directing.
On the other hand, many people feel that it was fair, and that despite Barbie's enormous success, it was more of an expensive Mattel commercial than a good movie. And now that Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment, which produced Barbie, is said to be working on a Sims movie, many viewers are already skeptical.
A Big-Screen Adaptation of the Beloved Video Game
The hit life simulation game The Sims is arguably one of the most successful video game franchises in the world, with over two hundred million copies sold worldwide. The game allows players to create avatars with unique tastes, personality traits and desires, and guide the characters through their lives, building relationships and careers, as well as cooking dinner, cleaning the house and choosing what to wear in the morning.
First released in 2000, the game series has spanned four major installments, each with multiple expansion packs, two spin-off versions, and a now-defunct online game. In addition, the fifth installment has been in the works at Maxis, which produces The Sims, since 2022.
And apparently the game is headed for the big screen, as Margot Robbie's studio is reportedly working on a Sims movie with Roy Lee's Vertigo Entertainment and Electronic Arts, which distributes the game. Loki's Kate Herron is said to be directing.
A Commercial or the Next Hit?
Although no details about The Sims movie have been revealed, the similarity to Barbie is striking. Neither the game nor the toy has a storyline, giving players full freedom of action, so it's impossible to say what the movie might be about. But it's definitely an exaggeration to say that it will be an elaborate advertisement for The Sims.
After all, regardless of your views on Barbie, you have to agree that Greta Gerwig has done a masterful job of creating an engaging and amusing story that is also full of educational material. So, if the script for The Sims movie isn't worse than Barbie's, it will be fascinating to see the story unfold, even if it's in Simlish...