The iconic early video game “The Oregon Trail” is being turned into a darkly comedic musical feature by “Blades of Glory” helmers Josh Gordon and Will Speck.
Out promoting the release of their new film “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” the pair spoke with Collider and revealed their plans for the project which they’ve acquired the rights to.
The famed simulation game follows the experiences of 19th-century pioneer life with players taking on the role of a wagon leader who must decide what their group of settlers will bring on their journey, along with purchasing and scavenging supplies along the way.
It was famed for its high difficulty, with players dying from disease or other causes at the drop of a hat. Speck says the idea originated with their “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul:
“They’ve both been very obsessed with Oregon Trail. We were talking about what we could cook up next because we really want to do another musical. They mentioned that, and we now have the rights to it, and we’re putting it together alongside them and some other exciting people.”
Gordon says the darkly comedic tone of the original game, with its very quick and easy death, is part of the appeal:
“It always had this dark band of humor running through it, because your chances of dying from everything from dysentery to a cut to anything was… Basically, every move you ended up dying. For us, that’s returning a little bit to our roots in comedy, marrying it with the fun of doing a big musical, and also just the ambition of taking that very seriously as well and making a big historical westward expansion epic that’s also about dying from dysentery.”
Currently the pair is reportedly weighing whether to make it a PG-13 or R-rated film in order to get the right balance – whatever they decide, they say they will “not pull any punches and be able to be darkly funny”.
The project is presently in active development, with the film currently being put together with a writer and then a studio home “where we know it’ll get made in the right way”.
“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” releases in theaters on October 7th. “The Oregon Trail” was most recently remade by Apple in 2021 and is available in Apple Arcade.
Source: Collider
