Lurker > KFHEWUI

We all remember where we were when Paramount Pictures released the first look trailer of 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog and the internet was set ablaze with how uncomfortable the live-action blue blur made them feel (the horror of those teeth and eyes still keeps us up at night). Well we can brace ourselves for another trip into the uncanny valley as THR has reported that Pac-Man will be the latest video game legend to make his way into the live-action world.

The project is currently helmed by Bandai Namco Entertainment (no surprises there) and Wayfarer Studios, and is said to be based on an original idea by Sonic the Hedgehog mastermind, Chuck Williams.

Now, as much as people kicked up a fuss over the idea of a live-action Sonic movie, credit must be given to Williams for pitching the idea in the first place. The first two movies were such a box office hit that the third has already received a release date. But can Williams really strike gold twice?

The issue with Pac-Man is, unlike Sonic, he will always appear out of place in the real world. Sure, Sonic's blue fur, bulging eyes and general hedgehog-walking-like-a-human-ness made him something that you wouldn't expect to see on your daily commute, but at least his vague resemblance to a human meant that you could believe in him as a character as much as you can any other CG creation.

Pac-Man, ironically, is just not well-rounded enough by comparison. While Sonic had quips and speedy legs, Pac-Man is nominally just a hungry little ball. Games like Pac-Man World demonstrate that our spherical friend can be anthropomorphised to a certain extent, but would the studio make him look more human, and if so, how? Eyelashes? Pores? Please for the love of god do not give him finger nails...

We don't have any idea of a release date or casting news just yet (please Chris Pratt, please Chris Pratt...) but we can be pretty certain that the film is a few years down the line just yet. This leaves Illumination's Super Mario Movie to fill the void in Hollywood's oh-so-needed video game adaptations until then.