Summary

• Legendary Pictures secured a deal to bring the hit horror game Poppy Playtime to the big screen, beating out competitors.
• The film adaptation marks a new chapter for MOB Entertainment after falling through with Studio71 in 2022.
• The Poppy Playtime movie will include all the creepy characters from the game, and follows other collaborations between Legendary and Angry Films.

In the wake of successes like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Legendary Entertainment has inked a deal to bring the popular survival horror video game Poppy Playtime to the big screen. In a move that saw the company beat out several other aggressive offers, the deal will see Legendary produce the project along with Don Murphy and Susan Montford of Angry Films. MOB Entertainment debuted Poppy Playtime in 2021 via Steam, and since then the game has gone to have over 40 million players on PC, mobile, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Roblox.

This isn't the first time a film version of Poppy Playtime has been announced, as it was previously reported in 2022 that MOB would be teaming with Studio71 to release a theatrical adaptation. That project has since fallen through, allowing Legendary to swoop in and make the deal. In a statement released by MOB’s co-founders and brothers, Zach and Seth Belanger, they said that they’re thrilled to have been able to touch the lives of so many people, and that the move comes as the “logical next step” as they continue to grow their transmedia company. They also mentioned how they’ve always “dreamed big,” with the purpose of "inspiring and entertaining."

"When we first started this journey, we followed our passion and created a series of games and brands with the purpose of inspiring and entertaining. We’ve always dreamed big and are thrilled to have created something that has captured the hearts of tens of millions around the world. This movie deal is a great logical next step in the growth of our transmedia entertainment company."

This is now the third time Legendary and Angry Films have teamed up together, as the pair are also currently developing a remake of the VHS cult-classic, Faces of Death (which recently wrapped filming), and are working together to bring a multi-medium take on the legendary science fiction classic, Buck Rogers, to life. This time around, they’ll be bringing characters such as Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, and CatNap to life for fans of 'Poppy Playtime,' which also features shades of Willy Wonka, Toy Story and Gremlins. Check out the full synopsis of the video game below.

"Set in the year 2005, the player takes the role of a former employee of toy-making company Playtime Co., who revisits its abandoned toy factory 10 years after its staff's mysterious disappearance. The player navigates through a first-person perspective and must solve puzzles, some requiring a gadget named the GrabPack, to progress while avoiding various enemies."

Poppy Playtime is Not Without Controversy

Aside from comparisons to Five Nights at Freddy's, Poppy Playtime from MOB Entertainment is not without controversy. Developers have faced reports of plagiarism, angry parents upset that the character of Huggy Wuggy is negatively influencing their children, claims of sexualizing characters from Five Nights at Freddy's, and there was a brouhaha about the release of some NFTs that were announced in 2021 that came under scrutiny from fans of the game. The Belanger brothers were unable to remove the non-fungible tokens due to a contract they'd already signed, but they did announce in 2022 that all proceeds from those sales would be donated to the Clean Air Task Force organization.

Despite these controversies, however, Poppy Playtime is as popular now as it has ever been, and the time is right for Legendary to enter the space of video game adaptations. Should the big screen version be as popular as not only Five Nights at Freddy's, but other recent successes such as The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, and Sonic the Hedgehog, the company could find itself in possession of a very lucrative franchise.