‘Monsterpocalypse’ Movie With ‘Evil Dead’ Director Fede Alvarez Sparks Studio Bidding War

A live-action film based on the Monsterpocalypse board game has been in various stages of development for several years, previously delayed due to similarities with Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. But the adaptation of the hit robots vs. monsters game is once again picking up steam, with Evil Dead remake director Fede Alvarez attached to helm what has become the source of a fierce bidding war among major studios

THR reports that Warner Bros., Sony and DreamWorks are all bidding for the rights to Monsterpocalypse, with Alvarez attached to direct from a script he co-wrote with his longtime collaborator Rodo Sayagues. After gaining notice for his short films, Alvarez made his feature directorial debut with 2013’s Evil Dead, based on Sam Raimi’s cult horror classic. He debuted his most recent effort, Don’t Breathe, at this year’s SXSW film festival (read our review). That film hits theaters on August 26.

As for Monsterpocalypse, Alvarez and Sayagues aren’t the first team to take a crack at the adaptation. Back in 2010, Tim Burton was attached to direct from a screenplay by Big Fish scribe John August, but the project eventually stalled out because it was a little too similar to Pacific Rim. Although Alvarez’s version is said to be “substantially different” from the previous version, the basic humans vs. monsters concept remains intact.

Here’s the official description of the Monsterpocalypse board game:

Monsterpocalypse is a fast-moving, action-packed strategy game played with high-quality pre-painted miniatures portraying the most fearsome giant monsters on Earth! Each battle takes place in a city that you and your opponent construct by placing buildings on a city map. Players choose their forces from their respective collections of figures and then battle one another with giant monsters and supporting units such as tanks, flying vehicles, and all manner of terrifying creatures. Charge your monster into the city to fight for supremacy, and be the last monster standing!

Both Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe are more contained horror thrillers in intimate settings, but Alvarez does have experience working on a bigger scale — and on a budget, to boot. The director originally made a name for himself with the 2009 short film Panic Attack!, which incorporates monsters and robots, and may give you a bit of an idea about what to expect from his version of Monsterpocalypse, a title I will never get used to typing: