Monument Valley is going to be a film of sorts
Escher in a new age.
The beautiful and very successful mobile series Monument Valley is going to be turned into a movie of sorts and, excitingly, Patrick Osborne is at the helm.
Osborne won an Oscar for short film Feast, a heart-swelling six-minute story about a stray dog and the man who takes it in. Soon the dog shares the fatty delights of the man's batchelor diet - pizza, nachos, hot dogs, burgers - but along comes a woman and things begin to change.
Feast aired a few years ago, before the brilliant Big Hero 6. I've embedded the official teaser but you can find the full thing online without much effort.
Osborne is tasked with developing and directing a live-action/animated hybrid Monument Valley family franchise, whatever that means. Deadline labelled it a "film" and said it will put contemporary live-action characters into the game's mind-bending world.
Monument Valley, made by developer Ustwo (designer Ken Wong departed after release to make the you-should-play-it mobile game Florence), is a gorgeously realised and wonderfully elegant puzzle game where you guide a princess called Ida around fantastical, perspective-fluid levels heavily inspired by the artist MC Escher.
It's a largely silent game in terms of told story, which makes it an odd - or perhaps freeing - property to adapt, although there are fragments of a deeper history imparted by a mysterious Ghost character at milestone moments throughout. What they add up to, though, is never made obvious, if explained at all. It's the puzzles which are the core.
A standalone sequel, Monument Valley 2, was released last year, and told the story of two characters - Ro and her daughter - exploring the mysteries of the Valley.
Perhaps Osborne will develop a story about characters lost in the fantastical world of Monument Valley, and have them uncover its secrets along the way. If it's anywhere near as pleasant company as the game itself, I'll happily watch it.
Monument Valley is £3 on Android and £4 on iOS.