Universal Pictures has asked Roland Emmerich to direct a movie based on the 1979 Atari video game Asteroids, ComingSoon is reporting. The studio, which has been developing the movie with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and screenwriter Matt Lopez, looked to the popular director, as he has helmed such disaster-action hits as ‘Independence Day’ and ’2012.’ The movie will detail Earth’s future after the planet is destroyed by aliens. Humans are now living in an asteroid belt with the aliens responsible for the Earth’s destruction. Emmerich has not yet signed onto the project, as he recently said he’s finished with sci-fi-action destruction films. His next movie, ‘Anonymous,’ which presents the theory…

Universal Studios has won the rights to produce a big-screen adaptation of the classic Atari game “Asteroids.” Matthew Lopez will write the script for the adaptation, and Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce. Universal’s senior VP of production Jeff Kirschenbaum will oversee the whole project. “Asteroids” was released in 1979 in arcade form, where a single player controlled a triangular “space ship” dodging and shooting asteroids into bits in an asteroid field. No other information has been released yet about the project in terms of release date or casting. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for movie news and more from the upcoming adaptation “Asteroids”. By Costa Koutsoutis (Source; The Hollywood Reporter)