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Hollywood just pressed START on one of its most unexpected movie deals yet.

Universal Pictures is digging deep into video game history for its potential next collection of blockbuster franchises. Atari has entered into a major new agreement with Universal that could bring 10 of the company’s most recognizable classic games to the big screen, and some of the titles included may leave you wondering exactly how Hollywood plans to pull this off.

From alien invasions and missile attacks to bouncing balls and disappearing bricks, Universal’s upcoming Atari movies could transform some incredibly simple arcade concepts into massive action-adventure stories.

And yes, before you ask: Pong is really on the list.

Universal Pictures Is Developing Movies Based on Classic Atari Games

According to Deadline, Atari has partnered with management and production company Entertainment 360 on a deal granting Universal Pictures the right to develop feature films based on 10 iconic Atari video game properties.

The agreement does not mean all 10 Atari movies are immediately entering production. Instead, Universal has secured the opportunity to develop projects using the selected intellectual properties, potentially turning the company’s classic arcade and Atari 2600 games into large-scale theatrical adventures.

Atari Chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said the company is excited to work with Universal and Entertainment 360 to bring the enduring spirit of Atari’s games into a new entertainment medium.

The partnership arrives as video game adaptations continue to become an increasingly important part of Hollywood’s franchise strategy. However, unlike story-heavy modern games, many of Atari’s earliest hits relied on extremely simple visuals, objectives, and gameplay loops.

That leaves Universal with plenty of room to build entirely new characters, settings, mythology, and stories around the recognizable Atari titles.

Every Atari Game Included in Universal’s Movie Deal

Universal Pictures has secured development rights to the following 10 Atari properties:

1. Asteroids

Originally released as an arcade game in 1979, Asteroids places players in control of a small spaceship surrounded by incoming asteroids and enemy spacecraft.

The basic concept could easily become a large-scale science-fiction survival movie, with astronauts or space explorers attempting to navigate a deadly asteroid field while confronting a much larger intergalactic threat.

Interestingly, this is not the first time Universal has explored an Asteroids movie. The studio previously acquired rights to develop an adaptation in 2009, but that project never reached theaters.

2. Adventure

Released for the Atari 2600, Adventure is frequently remembered as one of the earliest action-adventure video games.

Players explore a kingdom filled with castles, mazes, dragons, magical items, and a stolen enchanted chalice. While the original graphics were famously minimal, the game’s fantasy setting gives Universal a surprisingly strong foundation for a sweeping medieval adventure.

Of all the titles included in the Atari movie deal, Adventure may be one of the easiest to imagine becoming a traditional feature film.

3. Berzerk

Berzerk follows a humanoid character navigating a series of maze-like rooms while battling hostile robots.

The game also features Evil Otto, an indestructible bouncing enemy that relentlessly pursues the player if they remain in one room for too long.

Between the killer robots, endless corridors, and an unstoppable smiling villain, Berzerk already sounds like it could become a futuristic action thriller — or possibly a surprisingly unsettling science-fiction horror movie.

4. Breakout

In Breakout, players use a paddle to bounce a ball into rows of colored bricks, gradually clearing the screen without allowing the ball to fall.

There is not exactly an obvious cinematic storyline built into the original game, which makes Breakout one of the more mysterious titles in Universal’s Atari lineup.

Still, the name alone could inspire anything from a prison escape movie to a high-concept science-fiction story involving characters trapped behind a series of increasingly dangerous barriers.

This one may require Hollywood to get especially creative.

5. Centipede

The classic arcade game Centipede challenges players to shoot an enormous centipede as it winds its way through a mushroom-filled field.

Spiders, fleas, scorpions, and other creatures also appear as hazards during gameplay.

A feature-film adaptation could potentially turn that basic setup into a full creature feature, complete with massive insects, an isolated community, and one very bad day for anyone who does not enjoy creepy-crawlies.

Previous film projects inspired by Centipede were announced years ago, but no finished movie reached theaters.

6. Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles follows Bentley Bear as he travels through three-dimensional castles collecting gems while avoiding enemies.

The colorful fantasy environments and central animal character could make this property a natural candidate for an animated family movie. Universal also has several animation banners and production partners capable of expanding Bentley Bear’s world beyond the arcade game.

Nothing has been announced regarding whether the proposed Atari films will be animated or live-action, so Crystal Castles could potentially move in either direction.

7. Millipede

Released as a follow-up to Centipede, Millipede once again places players in a bug-filled environment with waves of insects and other incoming threats.

The game expands the original formula by adding additional enemies and gameplay elements.

Universal could develop Millipede as a separate creature feature, connect it to a potential Centipede movie, or use the two properties as part of a shared insect-invasion universe.

To be clear, no connected Atari cinematic universe has been announced. For now, Universal simply holds the development rights to both properties.

8. Missile Command

Missile Command tasks players with protecting cities from incoming ballistic missiles by launching counterattacks before the projectiles reach their targets.

The game’s apocalyptic premise could lend itself to a tense disaster movie, military thriller, or science-fiction story centered on preventing global destruction.

A Missile Command film adaptation was previously announced alongside Centipede in 2016, although that version did not move forward to release.

9. Pong

We have officially reached the title everyone is going to be talking about.

Pong is one of the most historically significant video games ever created, but its entire premise involves two paddles bouncing a ball back and forth across a screen.

That is the game.

Universal will now have the opportunity to figure out how that concept could become a feature-length movie.

The studio could theoretically build a sports comedy, a futuristic competition story, or a completely original action-adventure around the instantly recognizable Atari name. At this stage, however, no plot details or creative direction have been announced for a Pong movie.

We may have to see this one to believe it.

10. Yars’ Revenge

Yars’ Revenge follows an insect-like alien known as a Yar as it attempts to destroy a powerful enemy weapon called the Qotile.

The Atari 2600 game includes space combat, energy barriers, alien creatures, and a surprisingly detailed science-fiction premise compared to several of the other titles in the deal.

With the right creative team, Yars’ Revenge could become a visually ambitious intergalactic action movie featuring alien civilizations, enormous battles, and plenty of room for franchise-building.

The First Atari Movie Is Already Moving Forward

Universal has reportedly acquired an original spec script inspired by one of the 10 Atari properties, although the specific game behind the screenplay has not been revealed.

The screenplay was written by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe. Guymon Casady of Entertainment 360 is attached to produce the first project.

According to Casady, he and Reilly grew up playing Atari 2600 games and remained fans of the company’s classic titles. He explained that early Atari games placed players inside imaginative worlds without overexplaining the story, allowing players to fill in the missing details themselves.

Reilly and Hampe reportedly used that same approach to create an original, large-scale adventure around one of the selected Atari properties.

Universal and Entertainment 360 have not disclosed which game inspired the first screenplay. No director, cast members, production date, or theatrical release date has been announced.

What Will the Atari Movies Actually Look Like?

The plan is reportedly to transform these properties into big-scale action-adventure movies rather than produce literal recreations of their original gameplay.

That distinction is important.

Many of these Atari games were created during an era when technical limitations required players to use their imaginations. A handful of pixels could represent a knight, a dragon, a spaceship, or an entire alien civilization.

That creative freedom may now work in Universal’s favor.

Instead of adapting complicated storylines with established characters and years of lore, filmmakers could use each game’s core concept as the starting point for a completely new world.

Asteroids could become an intergalactic survival epic. Missile Command could become a race against global destruction. Berzerk could become a terrifying robot uprising. Centipede could become the insect movie that ensures none of us ever go into the backyard again.

And Pong? Your guess is as good as ours.

When Will Universal’s First Atari Movie Be Released?

Universal has not announced a release date for its first Atari movie.

The identity of the first game being adapted also remains under wraps, and there are currently no confirmed cast members or directors attached to the project.

Even with an acquired screenplay, a movie can still go through rewrites, development changes, scheduling delays, or creative restructuring before cameras begin rolling. It is also possible that not every property included in the agreement will ultimately become a completed film.

Still, the fact that Universal has already purchased a script suggests the studio is doing more than casually browsing Atari’s game library.

One of these unexpected adaptations may be arriving sooner than we think.

Universal’s Atari Deal Could Get Very Interesting

Hollywood has officially reached the point where even a pair of digital paddles can have franchise potential.

Universal’s agreement with Atari includes some games with obvious cinematic possibilities and others that will require a truly impressive amount of imagination. Whether this experiment produces the next great video game movie or one of Hollywood’s strangest abandoned projects remains to be seen.

Either way, we desperately need to know which Atari game Universal is adapting first.

Be sure to revisit Theme Park Scope for more Universal news, entertainment updates, movie announcements, theme park developments, and everything you need to know about the stories that could eventually make their way from the big screen into the parks.