Ellen Page Stars in Controversial New Movie About Sexism in eSports
Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page will star in the esports feature film 1UP. The comedy follows an athlete who, with the help of an experienced coach, forms a women's esports team after being kicked out of college.
Page received an Oscar nomination for his role as the title character in the 2007 hit Juno and has appeared in films such as Inception and X-Men: Days of Future Past. She also featured alongside Willem Dafoe as teenage telepathic Jody in the 2013 film Beyond: Two Souls.
The new movie, 1UP, will feature Paris Berelc as an excluded player. Berelk is probably best known for her role in Adam Sandler's spooky comedy Hubie Halloween.
This is Buzzfeed Studios' first feature film, so they will be desperate to make it a hit in order to establish themselves as a legitimate studio.
What do we know about 1UP
According to The Hollywood Reporter , Berelz's character, Vivian, leaves her college esports team after being sexist from her teammates. With the help of a "mystery coach", Page assembles a women's team to compete against the boys.
What kind of esports is set in the film is open to question, but it's all part of Buzzfeed's mission to make "socially meaningful" films for "millennials and Gen Z".
The studios making movies like this are another sign that esports is becoming more and more popular - assuming, of course, that it is successful. But whether this film will be a very positive reflection of esports or not remains to be seen.
Reactions to "1UP"
The premise was controversial, with some fearing that the comedy elements might detract from a serious issue.
I really love that the worst event of my life is being turned into a comedy. https://t.co/IlkRW4cg0P
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) October 31, 2020
Game and comic book writer Zoe Quinn sarcastically called it "fun" even though there is no topic under discussion.
Production is expected to start in November, which means we'll have to wait a bit to see it on our screens. However, as one of the first feature films based on esports, it's worth checking out.