This week sees the release of Apple's Tetris movie, which charts the incredible battle to secure to the handheld rights to the game, which was bundled with the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989.
Dutch businessman and developers Henk Rogers, a central figure in this remarkable real-life tale, has been speaking to us about the events portrayed in the movie and his thoughts on whether or not it does the story justice.
One of the most notable aspects of Apple's film is the casting of British actor Taron Egerton, famous for playing Elton John in the acclaimed biopic, Rocketman. "My initial thought was this guy doesn’t look anything like me," says Rogers with a laugh. However, he didn't look much like Elton John, either, and that didn't stop him from playing that role to perfection. Rogers, who claims to have seen Apple's film five times, is of the same opinion.
"...but he's a great actor," he adds. "I’d already seen him play Elton John, and I went to see The Kingsman. He’s brilliant in The Kingsman – Oh my god! He’s like Jason Bourne or something. So, I said, ‘Wow, this is going to be an exciting movie.’"
Rogers reveals to us that he spoke with the actor over Zoom to offer advice and background detail and, alongside Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, helped the team behind the film get some insight into what it was like to operate within Russia at that time – valuable input, you could argue, as the movie itself was shot mainly in Scotland.
Tetris launches on Apple TV+ on March 31st.