A vibrating heart bed. A pool without a ladder. A glowing green crystal. If any of these objects spark so much as a flicker of recognition somewhere deep within your psyche, you’ve most likely played one of the best-selling live simulation video games of all time: The Sims.
For the uninitiated, its publisher Electronic Arts describes the game as a world in which you can, ‘create unique characters, build dream homes, and let chaos unfold’. It was first released in 2000, has since sold more than 200 million copies worldwide and is generally considered to be an iconic piece of pop culture history. To this day, YouTubers attract millions of views from playing the game online.
But whether you’re new to The Sims or are practically fluent in ‘Simlish’ (the nonsense language spoken by its characters), you might well have heard that Margot Robbie is set to produce a film based on the game. Robbie’s production company LuckyChap will work on the movie, following a string of successes including Box Office behemoth Barbie and Emerald Fennell’s wildly popular, infinitely memeable Saltburn.
The cast and further details are yet to be announced, but Kate Herron (who directed the first season of Marvel-derived Loki) is expected to direct and co-write the feature. Electronic Arts will also reportedly be involved in the project in a creative and production capacity, which feels reminiscent of toy manufacturer Mattel’s involvement in Barbie. Will Robbie star as a Sim? Will there be ‘WooHoo’ (the game’s euphemism for sex)? Only time will tell.
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One thing we do know for sure is that fans are excited. ‘Please they need to speak only simlish with no subtitles, only vibes,’ read one post on X. ‘If there is not a scene where the stepladder to the pool is removed....WE WILL RIOT lol,’ said another. Another thing this announcement shows? Our appetite for nostalgic adaptation appears to be endless.
The Sims film will likely follow in the commercial success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Then, of course, there was Barbie, Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing domestic release and the first film by a solo female director to hit the $1 billion mark. When a Polly Pocket live-action movie was announced, starring Lily Collins and directed by Lena Dunham, it felt like every single 1990s daydream was coming true.
And now, in perhaps the strangest announcement yet, news has broken that LuckyChap will also be producing a live action adaptation of Monopoly (yes, the board game). Robbie, alongside her partners Tom Ackerley and Josie McNamara, will make the film with Lionsgate, which owns the film rights, and Hasbro, the toy company behind the game.
'Monopoly is a top property — pun fully intended,' said LuckyChap in a statement. 'Like all of the best IP, this game has resonated worldwide for generations, and we are so excited to bring this game to life.'
Some would-be viewers are less convinced, taking to X to voice scepticism. One says: 'The thimble, battleship, top hat, and racecar are all going to look directly at the camera and say "capitalism is bad"'. Another joked: 'Runtime: 9 hrs 47 minutes.' It is undeniably ironic that a game that was originally designed to warn players about the dangers of capitalism (but ended up as a get-rich-quick competition) is being made into a blockbuster movie.
There's also the originality debate. Understandably, some argue that the string of remakes, reboots and adaptations of existing ideas shows a lack of creativity and fresh stories. It feels like they are the new Marvel Universe, which Gwyneth Paltrow has criticised for lacking originality. ‘You get more diversity of art when there is less at stake and people can express their true voice and make a film the way they want to make it. Those are generally the more resonant ones,’ she said on YouTube interview series, Hot Ones.
This follows writer Cord Jefferson’s recent Oscar acceptance speech for the best-adapted screenplay, which he won for the comedy drama American Fiction. ‘Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies,’ he said at the Hollywood ceremony.
But while monoculture and commercial dominance can be damaging, there’s no denying that our obsession with nostalgia seems to be reaching an all time high – and it’s little surprise that production companies are willing to tap into that. What’s more, there’s something deeply reassuring about the exploration of old ideas, which remind us of simpler times, or perhaps serve to show how much we’ve grown since first experiencing them.
This week also marked the return of children’s author Jacqueline Wilson, who announced that her first adult novel in almost 50 years will revisit the main characters from her beloved Girls series. Millennial fans have rejoiced over memories of books like Girls in Love and Girls in Tears, which helped many young readers to navigate issues surrounding body image, young romance and complex family dynamics.
Should it be out with the old and in with the new? As long as the return of familiar names and faces leaves space for the fresh and inventive, it seems like a little nostalgia never hurt anybody.
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