Co-op gaming hit It Takes Two to be an Amazon movie
Also: Dwayne Johnson is co-producing it, for some reason
If you’re into video games and/or extended meditations on divorce as explored through the lens of a magical book that turns bickering adults into toys, you’re probably familiar with last year’s It Takes Two. (You might also be familiar with it from yelling at us for not including it on our Best Games Of 2021 piece; so it goes!)
Now, Variety reports that the game—developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts, is set to be getting the film treatment. Specifically, Amazon has expressed an interest in turning the Game Awards winner into a narrative film, presumably following the turned-into-dolls adventures of married-but-not-for-long couple Cody and May.
It Takes Two sees its central couple get turned into toys after telling their heartbroken daughter that they’re filing for a divorce. Accompanied by a talking relationship guidance book that constantly forces them to do bizarre and dangerous exercises to work on their relationship, they have to navigate their homes with shrunken bodies to reunite with their kid.
News of the film adaptation of the game was originally announced back in January. Today’s announcement includes both news that Amazon will now be producing, as well as the fact that Seven Bucks Productions—i.e., Dwayne Johnson’s production company, alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia—will also be involved. That, obviously, raises questions of whether Johnson will end up appearing in the film, about which very little is known, including whether it’ll be fully animated or a hybrid with live-action material. (Joseph Balderrama and Annabelle Dowler starred in the video game.)
It Takes Two is the latest in an increasing trend of cinematic video game adaptations in recent years, encompassing Detective Pikachu, both Sonic The Hedgehog films, Mortal Kombat, and the recent Uncharted. It Takes Two is a lot smaller, brand-wise, than any of those other franchises, but it did pick up a ton of good press last year with its cooperative and fantastical story and gameplay.