Asteroids Movie to Capitalize on Human Drama of Blowing Up Rocks

· After an intense bidding war involving no fewer than four studios, Universal emerged with the coveted rights to Asteroids, Atari's thrilling story of a triangle and its mission to clear the the cosmos of flying rocks. Long considered by Hollywood's development community as the unadaptable Benjamin Button of classic video games, the property has no less a mind than G.I. Joe producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to shepherd it to the screen; screenwriter Matthew Lopez will attempt to submit his initials as all-time high scorer. [THR]