Nerds are cool now, which means nerdy stuff like video games are superheroes are also cool, but there are really only so many video games and superheroes that Hollywood can turn into movies. Luckily, the back wall of the toy section in your local Target has a seemingly endless supply of sufficiently nerdy board games that can all be turned into movies, and Variety is reporting that Sony has just picked up the rights to make an adaptation of The Settlers Of Catan—a keystone of nearly every nerdy board game collection. The project comes from Perfect Storm and Air Force One producer Gail Katz, who got the rights to the game in 2015. Blaise Hemingway, a writer with a cool name who has worked on the Ugly Dolls and Playmobil movies, is now attached to write the script.
The original board game casts the players as settlers on the island of Catan (hence the name), with each one competing to develop the most successful community by acquiring various resources. Basically, it’s like a more high-minded version of Risk, just with more wheat and less combat. Sony is apparently hoping to make Catan into a franchise, but it’s still not really clear how this could turn into one movie—let alone a whole series. If this takes off, though, maybe it’ll crossover with the eventual Ticket To Ride, Pandemic, Codenames, and Cards Against Humanity adaptations.