Dysentery is coming to the big screen! Apple Original Films is officially set to develop “Oregon Trail,” an action/comedy feature that will be produced by EGOT-winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul via their Ampersand production banner, and directed and produced by Will Speck and Josh Gordon.
Based on the popular video game franchise, which is owned by HarperCollins, the script will be written by The Lucas Bros. and Max Reisman. Caroline Fraser will produce for HarperCollins Productions (“Carmen Sandiego,” “The Mouse and the Motorcycle”), and Kevin K. Vafi (“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”) will also serve as producer.
Speck and Gordon most recently directed Sony’s live-action musical adaptation of the children’s book “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.” They are also the creators and showrunners of the Hulu/Marvel series “Hit Monkey,” which stars Jason Sudeikis and recently premiered its second season The pair’s other credits include “Blades of Glory,” “The Switch” and “Office Christmas Party.”
Songwriters and producers Pasek & Paul are best known for their work on “La La Land,” The Greatest Showman” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” This year, they won their first Emmy as songwriters on “Only Murders in the Building,” earning them EGOT status.
Comedians and writers Keith and Kenny Lucas, known professionally as The Lucas Bros., received a Oscar nod for best original screenplay for their work on the film “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
“The Oregon Trail” first released in 1974, designed as an educational computer game for students to learn the circumstances of 19th-century pioneer migration. The series has since spawned numerous sequels over the years across various platforms, including one by Apple Arcade in 2021.
Speck and Gordon are represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber, and Dern. Pasek & Paul are represented by CAA, Kraft-Engel Management, and Schreck, Rose, Dapello, Adams, Berlin & Dunham. The Lucas Bros. are represented by Avi Gilbert at Fourth Wall Management, UTA and Hansen Jacobson. Max Reisman is represented by Avi Gilbert at Fourth Wall Management, UTA and Jackoway Austen. HarperCollins is represented by David Wienir, Head of Business and Legal Affairs at HarperCollins Productions.
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.
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