Film Based on OREGON TRAIL in Development at Apple

As someone who spent countless hours playing the original Oregon Trail game back in the 80s, I can hardly contain my excitement about this upcoming film adaptation! Growing up in rural America, the game was not just entertainment, but a historical lesson that brought the pioneer experience to life. The fact that it’s being developed by some of today’s most talented creators is nothing short of thrilling.


What I’m sure you all wanted to see on the big screen is arriving soon: cholera, dysentery, typhoid, measles, and the ever-so-elusive fever. What could possibly be the premise of such an action-packed film to have all these threats? It’s none other than the Oregon Trail. A new film inspired by the iconic PC game is currently in development at Apple Original Films. We first learned about this via Variety.

The Lucas Brothers, along with their writing partner Max Reisman, are working on an upcoming action-comedy film. The Lucas Brothers gained significant recognition for penning the Academy Award-nominated script for “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The songwriting duo, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul from “La La Land,” are overseeing the movie’s production through their Ampersand production company.

Speck and Gordon are planned to direct and be producers on the upcoming movie. This creative team is known for making comedies, like their past projects such as “Blades of Glory” and “The Switch”. Kevin Vafi, who was a producer on “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”, will also produce the film “Oregon Trail”.

Publisher HarperCollins is the proprietor of a popular video game series; it’s their subsidiary, HarperCollins Productions, that oversees its creation, with Caroline Fraser serving as the producer. Notably, Fraser has also been responsible for producing the Netflix adaptation of Carmen Sandiego.

Since the movie is currently in its preliminary stages, details about cast members, potential storyline, and running time are yet to be determined. The Oregon Trail, a popular computer game first released in 1974, experienced significant success with its Apple II version from 1985. It’s not unreasonable to speculate that Apple might be capitalizing on this nostalgia wave as we increasingly lean towards digital experiences. Interestingly enough, the yearning for the tangible seems to grow stronger as technology advances.

The Oregon Trail served as an educational tool for students to gain insight into the historical Oregon Trail traveled by 19th-century pioneers en route to modern-day Oregon. Numerous games based on the original have emerged, with recent adaptations developed by Gameloft on Apple devices, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation platforms.

To get a taste of the nostalgic feel before the movie premieres, you can now play the game on the newest Apple gadgets by subscribing to Apple Arcade.

Hopefully, the famous phrase won’t be used against you: “You have died of dysentery.”

Read More

2024-10-28 23:32