‘Angry Birds’ Live-Action Game Show in the Works From Big Fish

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Angry Birds” is coming to television.

Big Fish Entertainment is partnering with Rovio Entertainment to develop the popular mobile game as a live-action game show currently titled “ Challenge.” It will incorporate large-scale obstacle courses with classic defense zones comprised of water, wood, ice, and stone barriers, all modeled after the game. Teams also get to pick their own challenges, which will be part of the strategy for finishing the course the fastest. They must race to reach the “castle tower” and save as many eggs as possible.

Big Fish president Dan Cesareo and chief creative officer Lucilla D’Agostino serve as executive producers, as well as Jeff Bennett and Joe Lawson, head of content licensing for Rovio. No network is currently attached.

“No matter what genre Big Fish develops in, it’s part of our DNA to make sure we’re giving audiences something they haven’t seen before,” said Cesareo. “Partnering with Rovio to elevate ‘Angry Birds’ for television is something we’re excited to offer buyers, and to give fans a reimagined, interactive experience of one of their favorite games.”

The “Angry Birds” games have been downloaded more than 4 billion times. Over the past few years, the brand has found success in television animation, YouTube, consumer products, location-based entertainment, and the animated feature, “The Angry Birds Movie,” which grossed more than $352 million at the box office. A sequel is currently slated for September 2019.

“Rovio is thrilled to be partnering with Dan and Big Fish to bring ‘Angry Birds’ to life in a hilarious, adrenaline-pumping series unlike anything else on TV,” added Lawson. “To see contestants actually step into the world of the game and share the exhilaration of being launched and other jaw-dropping challenges to save the eggs will be awesome for families to watch together. And seeing them fail will be even more fun!”

Should the project move forward, it would be the latest mobile game to become a live action game show. Previously, CBS launched a live version of “Candy Crush” with host Mario Lopez last summer, though that show ended after just one season.