Stardew Valley's creator ConcernedApe AKA Eric Barone, said that he would like a movie adaptation but only if Studio Ghibli or David Lynch did it, IGN reported.
During the interview, Barone told IGN, “I'm just too protective of my IP to just hand it over to someone and say go ahead and make a Stardew Valley movie or whatever.”
“I would need to be closely involved with that,” he added.
Barone has thought about other Stardew Valley-themed ventures such as board games and the upcoming Festival of Seasons concert. The Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons concert will start its worldwide tour in 2024.
While he thinks that there are some interesting opportunities for Stardew to branch out, he feels that it's risky giving the characters actual human voices and have them move around without the player's directions.
He also felt that he would rather use his time to develop more games. However, “If Studio Ghibli approached me, I would probably say okay, let's do it,” he said with a chuckle.
“If David Lynch approached me and wanted to make a Stardew Valley movie, I would say go ahead, just do it,” he continued.
Studio Ghibli would definitely fit the vibe that the cozy game has. Fans of the game would love to see Totoro and friends (if it's a crossover) meander about the Valley. Another idea could be if the Valley characters are animated in the Ghibli style.
However, it would be equally interesting to see a surrealist take on it. A version of Lynch's Academy Award-winning movie The Elephant Man may be too much of a stretch for the farming simulation game. Although, if the goal is to veer as far away from a relaxing time, a neo-noir Stardew Valley is something to look forward to.
Turning video games into movies have become popular over the years. In 2019, Detective Pikachu grossed almost $450 million globally against a $150 million budget. More recently, The Super Mario Bros. Movie earned $1.36 billion worldwide, currently the highest grossing video game film.
Metal Gear Solid, Borderlands and Bioshock will also get film adaptations.
Barone's next game, Haunted Chocolatier, is currently development and does not have a release date yet.
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