Home Alone director Chris Columbus’ upcoming sci-fi comedy Pixels is already primed to hit a nostalgic nerve for anyone who grew up playing ’80s arcade games, and the latest preview of the film continues that trend with a deeper dive into the list of pixelated characters appearing in the movie.
The latest video featurette for the film clocks in at just over two minutes, and includes quite a bit of new footage accompanied by commentary from stars Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop), Josh Gad (Jobs), and Michelle Monaghan (True Detective), as well as Columbus himself and other members of the film’s creative team.
Possibly the best part about the new preview is that it puts the focus on a few more ’80s arcade characters — particularly the nozzle-nosed, orange-hued, leaping hero Q*bert — who will join Donkey Kong, Frogger, Pac-Man, and others in the film.
Directed by Columbus, Pixels casts James as the president of the United States, who’s forced to recruit his childhood best friend (Sandler) to help save the world when alien invaders misinterpret video feeds of ’80s video games as a declaration of war. A former arcade champion, Sandler’s character must lead a team of old-school gamers played by Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad as they attempt to put their skills to the ultimate test. Monaghan plays the military liaison to the team who outfits them with an arsenal of game-themed weaponry.
Actors Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), and Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) fill out the featured cast.
The debut trailer for Pixels premiered in March and received more than 34.3 million views in the first 24 hours it was online, making it the most successful trailer debut in Sony Pictures’ history.
Inspired by a short film of the same name created by Patrick Jean, the script for Pixels was co-written by Big Daddy and Billy Madison writer Tim Herlihy, and Role Models and This Means War writer Timothy Dowling.
Pixels hits theaters July 24.
