Movie based on 'Tetris' starts shooting in 2017

Brett Molina | USA TODAY

Yes, that movie based on the classic puzzle game Tetris is really happening.

A live-action science fiction movie based on the block-stacking puzzler will be co-produced by Threshold Entertainment Group and China’s Seven Star Works, the companies revealed in a joint statement Tuesday. The project, carrying a budget of $80 million, starts shooting in China in 2017.

The Tetris film is the first movie in a joint venture between the two companies to produce and finance film under Threshold Global Studios. Threshold Entertainment Group is run by veteran film producer Larry Kasanoff, who worked on another series of notable video game adaptations based on Mortal Kombat.

“Tetris, one of the most recognized video game franchises of all time, is a perfect first project for this strategy,” said Kasanoff in a statement.

Video games are a hot property of late in Hollywood. Several films are already launching this year, based on franchises including Angry Birds, World of Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed.

However, Tetris presents a unique challenge, being a puzzle game where players just rotate blocks to fit them in clean lines and clear them from a level.

"One of the reasons Tetris is so successful is because it fulfills an innate desire we all have to create order out of chaos in the world around us," said Kasanoff in an email. "That theme -- applied with some imagination globally and possibly universally – is a great one for a series of sci-fi movies. I promise you this movie is not what you think, but once you see it, you will understand why Tetris."

The team has worked with The Tetris Company for more than a year on the film project. Although details of the plot have yet to be revealed, the “epic sci-fi thriller” has a story in place, and will be co-produced by Kasanoff and Bruno Wu, CEO of Chinese media company Sun Seven Stars Media Group.

“Today there are so many great sources on which to build a movie blockbuster and video gaming is certainly an amazing category with its huge international following,” said Wu.

Kasanoff first revealed the project in 2014 in a report to The Wall Street Journal.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.