Sul Sul! It’s official, Sims fans: a movie based on the beloved life-sim is in the works, and Barbie’s Margot Robbi and Loki’s Kate Herron are at the helm.
Way back in March of this year it was reported that warm off the heels of all that Barbie success, its producer and star Margot Robbie was looking to the world of video games for one of her next projects, specifically a live-action adaptation of The Sims. Well, today EA itself confirmed the news that a film is in the works, with Amazon MGM Studios helping to make the project. As previously reported, Kate Herron, best known for serving as the director of the first season of Loki, will be directing the Sims movie, and will be co-writing it with Briony Redman (the two previously wrote an episode of Doctor Who together). “It’s still too early to share more about the movie but stay tuned for updates as we mark our 25th birthday next year,” wrote EA in a blog post announcing the news.
Robbie’s production company LuckyChap is teaming up with Vertigo Entertainment ro produce the project alongside EA, but as long as audiences won’t have to fork out an extra £30 for a Movie Night expansion pack, there shouldn’t be any problems there. Herron seems like a great fit for something like The Sims too. While some fans weren’t a fan of Loki’s relationship with his alternate universe, genderbent version of himself Sylvie, Herron’s direction made the absurdity of it all work, so I imagine she can handle the weird world of The Sims.
In a statement provided to Variety, The Sims franchise manager Kate Gorman said “You will see a lot of The Sims universe come to life and you will see a lot of the classic experiences that our players have in the games come to life in the movie” and that she’s “sure a pool without a ladder is somewhere in there.”
More surprisingly for fans of the games is the fact the EA isn’t actually working on a Sims 5, with Gorman telling Variety that where previous Sims games have been replacements for previous ones, EA is “not going to be working on replacements of previous projects; we’re only going to be adding to our universe. With that, you’ll see there are more ways to experience The Sims on different platforms, different ways to play, transmedia, and lots of great offerings within this universe.”
When asked to clarify if this meant there won’t be a Sims 5, she said “it’s not Sims 5 as a replacement for 4. What this means is that we will continue to bring HD simulation experience and what people would want from a 5.” Gorman noted that this will allow players to keep all of their creations, expansions, kits, etc., something many have spent a lot of money on over The Sims 4’s 10 year history.
In turn, online will be a big focus for The Sims 4 going forward, as part of the still mysterious Project Rene, with EA promising more information will be coming soon, and sharing that you can sign-up to test the project now. While the future of The Sims isn’t 100% clear, there is at least a lot to look forward to currently.
