According to a new report from Variety, Tongal is developing a film adaptation of the 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System game from Koei Tecmo, Tecmo Bowl. At the time of writing, Tongal has not yet revealed details about the film’s production team.
Tongal is a “creative-driven studio” that has worked with Netflix, The Pokémon Company, NBCUniversal, and more. Its most recent film was a biography about musician Pharrell Williams with an art style centered around LEGO, titled Piece by Piece. According to the studio, the film will “be developed with Tongal’s creator community, who will contribute and execute original ideas to reimagine the legendary football game’s IP for a new era. By blending the game’s distinct original animation sequences with live production, the film will capture Tecmo Bowl’s nostalgic charm with a fresh, modern approach fueled by creators around the world.”
Additionally, Tongal CEO and co-founder, James DeJulio, said the following about the upcoming film: “I grew up playing Tecmo Bowl with my friends, as did so many kids of the 90s, and I know this is going to resonate with the fans and their families. We’re bringing together our creator community and cutting-edge creator platform to reinvent how features are developed and produced. Just as we did with Piece by Piece, this is an opportunity to innovate and build a new model for storytelling — one where beloved IP is supercharged by the talent and ideas of independent creators around the world.”
Tecmo Bowl is a game where you, quite simply, play American Football. It features some of the most beloved athletes from the era, such as Bo Jackson, Joe Montana and Lawrence Taylor. Lastly, those hoping to play Tecmo Bowl for themselves can play it on the Nintendo Switch Online service.
