George, Lizzie and Ralph are coming to a city near you…and they’re going to burn it down. In a new development by New Line Cinema, the classic 1986 arcade game Rampage is getting the big screen treatment. The Midway Games franchise* features three average humans who are transformed into a King Kong-sized gorilla, a Godzilla-like lizard and a towering werewolf. And what else do monsters do when they get together but stomp all over the military, destroy buildings and eat people? Hit the jump for more info on Rampage and some nostalgic gameplay.

News of New Line’s adaptation of Rampage comes via THR. The project, produced by John Rickard (A Nightmare on Elm Street) will take advantage of the franchise name recognition and emulate the game’s visuals. Rickard is currently meeting with writers to build a story. (Who needs a story? George smash!)

Although New Line’s only former tentpole project was The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the studio is relying on the advances in technology to make a modestly-budgeted monster movie. Their aim is to recreate Rampage in the tone of Ghostbusters and Independence Day. And while those two films aren’t exactly at the cutting edge of technology anymore, at least they’re respecting the fact that fans want to see George, Lizzie and Ralph front and center and not hiding in the dark, like the majority of Cloverfield and Super 8.

The game was essentially mindless, as the whole point was to smash skyscrapers while eating fleeing townspeople and destroying the National Guard. There were the usual 1980s bonuses like flower pots and TV sets as well as hazards like toasters and storm clouds. Check out some vintage gameplay below:

(*In 2009 Midway Games was acquired by Warner Bros., New Line’s sister company.)