By Myst, the 90s puzzle video game, basically took over the world and for a while there it was one of the hottest franchises there was. There were book spin-offs, sequels, and a ton of lore developed, but no film ever came out of it. That’s possibly not surprising because the game is basically a bunch of static images, puzzles, and loose storyline. That’s not to say that attempts haven’t been made throughout the years but no one has been able to get the proverbial ship in the fountain to rise.
Village Road Show, a company that’s had a fair share of film success, is looking to turn Myst into a cross-platform brand, and that means they plan on TV shows and movies. It’s not clear how they’re going to approach this or with whom the plan to approach it with, but the press release focuses heavily on the characters and history already established in the games and books:
The vast MYST canon has over 10,000 years of history, but its primary saga follows Atrus, a brilliant (if a bit naïve) grandson of Anna, a woman who triggers a world-shaping set of events when she discovers the D’ni civilization in a cavern deep below the New Mexico desert. The D’ni have a unique ability to write books that can link to other worlds. The discovery of their ability and the clash of cultures is the catalyst for the MYST novels and games. Until 2002, MYST was the best-selling PC game of all time, and to date the franchise has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Myst spawned several successful sequels including the critically acclaimed RIVEN in 1997. A series of Myst novels were also published. The books vividly explore the lives and backstories of the game’s characters.
The problem there is that most people don’t know jack or shit about the mythology behind Myst nor do I very much think they care. While the series is known for stunning visuals and gorgeous worlds to explore the vast majority of people never even thought about diving deep into its mythology. Hell, most folks just wanted to brag they beat the games without a walkthrough. There’s a reason no company before was able to get anything out of the property and its because there might not be anything to get.
Still, the nostalgia factor alone makes this a tempting franchise for any studio so you can see while Village Roadshow bit on it.
Is a ‘Myst’ Adaptation Really Happening or Does It Need More Blue Pages? [Collider]
