If you're a regular peruser of the interwebs, there's a good chance that you've come across the term 'Gamergate'. It's centred around independent game developer Zoë Quinn, who was a victim of online harassment and has since written a memoir entitled Crash Override: How To Save The Internet From Itself, to be published in 2016.
It looks like we won't have to wait long to see it get the big screen treatment. According to Deadline, former head of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal won a bidding war for the book's screen rights. In even better news, Scarlett Johansson is supposedly very keen on snagging the role.
In case you missed it, Gamergate started when Quinn's ex-boyfriend wrote a blog (which quickly went viral) accusing her of sleeping with journalists to get positive reviews for her game Depression Quest. Cue despicable harassment from angry trolls, escalating to the point where Quinn had to leave her home. The memoir - and supposedly the film - will deal with her fight back.
"Gaming and internet message boards used to be niche interests, mostly for young men. In the past few years, however, they’ve gone mainstream", Quinn stated in her proposal. "Millions of people — including women and other marginalized people — have taken an interest in the platforms, image boards, and discussion forums that once belonged by default to a much smaller population. Most gamers give zero fucks about this. Like the rest of us, they’re just here to play games. But a vocal minority are clinging onto the brand of Cheetos-and-Mountain-Dew exclusionary identity ‘hardcore gamer,’ muttering ‘fuckin casuals’ under their breath." Sounds tense!
Having an actress of Johansson's calibre on your project can only be a good thing, with excellent recent performances in films such as Don Jon, Under the Skin and Lucy proving how versatile and dynamic an actress she is. Perhaps even more importantly, this will be a great opportunity to delve into the world of online gaming culture, and could be both a satisfying and enlightening film. Crash Override: How To Save The Internet From Itself will be released in September 2016 by Simon & Schuster.
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