Up next for the big screen: Forget "Transformers," meet the View-Master!

Think a movie based on Atari's plot-less "Asteroids" sounds absurd? Just wait till the View-Master—the 3-D picture-disc toy that's been around for decades—makes the leap to the silver screen, courtesy of the same creative team that brought you "Transformers" and the new "Star Trek" movie.

The Hollywood Reporter, which last week broke the news that Universal has snapped up the movie rights to "Asteroids," now says that DreamWorks has bought the film rights for the View-Master from toy-maker Mattel. "Transformers" and "Star Trek" producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are already on board.

Details on the plot of the movie—yes, there will be a plot, not just a series of 3-D stills (hey, we had to use our imaginations back then)—are "under wraps," according to the Hollywood Reporter, although screenwriter Brad Caleb Kane reportedly Twittered that the film will "be like the old '80s Amblin movies: 'Goonies,' 'Young Sherlock' … in that vein."

Now, I'm not sure how many of you remember the View-Master—which, I was amazed to discover, is still on sale—but as a 70s kid, the plastic stereoscopic viewer and its 3-D picture discs were a collective treat.

Basically, the viewer (mine was red, and a lot less high tech-looking that the one pictured here) looks like a small pair of plastic binoculars; peer inside and you'll see a 3-D image of … well, just about anything. There were (and are) View-Master discs based on movies, TV shows, and cartoons, or you could check out dinosaurs, the lunar surface, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you name it. Once you've had your fill of one image, you just slide the lever on the side of the View-Master to move on to the next one.

Yes, the View-Master was a blast, especially in the days before Blu-ray, DVD, or even VHS. But … a feature film based on the View-Master? Really? Hmmm … maybe it'll be a magic View-Master that teleports you into whatever reel you're looking at. Or something. (Naturally, the movie'll have to be in 3-D.)

And apparently, we can expect more movies based on classic toys, board games, and the earliest video games. For example, The Hollywood Reporter claims that both "Battleship" ("You sunk my battleship!") and "Candyland" (Tim Burton's got to direct that one) have already been picked up for production. Go figure.

OK, quick show of hands: Who remembers the View-Master? And is it really worthy of a movie?

Related:
DreamWorks eyes View-Master toy as movie concept [Hollywood Reporter, via Reuters]