The battle for Earth begins at sea in this week’s new release Battleship, an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the oceans, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against an invading alien force.

The navy liked the fact that their branch gets to save the world- Paula Fleri-Soler

Battleship is, of course, inspired by the classic board game of the same name.

It is co-produced by Universal Pictures and toymakers Hasbro, who inherited several popular games and toys in their purchase of the Milton Bradley Company in the 1980s, including Battleship.

After the success the Transformers and GI Joe toys have enjoyed on the big screen, the company selected the naval warfare game as its first game-to-film venture.

Hasbro president and CEO Brian Goldner explained in the film’s production notes that “Battleship is a global brand that has been enjoyed for nearly 40 years in more than 30 countries.”

“People know the game-play and understand the face-off nature of it,” he continued.

“No matter whom you’re playing in Battleship, you’re sizing your opponent up, both from a personality standpoint as well as strategically.”

Co-producer Bennett Schneir agreed. “Battleship is a game of wits, intuition, logic and smarts as you try to figure out who your enemy is and win the day.

“We thought it had all of the elements for a huge, incredible movie. It’s cinematic, exciting and adventurous. To our film-makers, the game was an incredible launching point.”

The film-makers included director Peter Berg, the director behind hits such as The Kingdom (2007) and Hancock (2008).

Goldner and Schneir were keen to have Berg on board not only for his previous work behind the camera, but also for his deep passion for all things nautical since boyhood. In fact, when the director signed on for the film, he was conducting early research for another film about the US Navy.

“Battleship is a passion of mine because, as a kid, I spent so much time on ships, absorbing detailed histories about the great battles of World War II from my father,” said Berg.

“When this fell into my lap, it didn’t take me long to find a take for the film – a contemporary story of an international fleet engaged in a very dynamic, violent and intense fight that’s chock-full of action-packed sea battles with big hardware and conflict.

“You can go anywhere in the world and say ‘Battleship’ and people will know it. In today’s market, that’s a big plus for turning a brand into a film.”

Berg’s relationship with the navy would prove to be extremely helpful in the making of the film.

“The navy liked the fact that their branch gets to save the world,” he revealed.

“The destroyer sailors liked that for the first time a movie’s focus wasn’t on an aircraft carrier. If you talk to navy destroyer crews, they are engaged in real fighting. Their kick-ass ships protect aircraft carriers.”

This brings us to the fact that the film’s title may be a bit of a misnomer. The director explained that although the film is called Battleship, actual battleships have been taken out of active naval duty and replaced with Aegis naval destroyers – the most lethal fighting ships on the planet.

The vessels known as the battleships were prominent in World War II and were in use until the 1991 Iraq War.

The battleship still features prominently in the film, however.

Not only did filming take place on the Battleship Missouri Memorial (BB-63), the site of the 1945 Japanese surrender to Allied forces which marked the end of World War II, an important plot point sees the said ship re-commissioned, sailing into action and playing an important part in the navy’s battle against the invading aliens, thereby earning it top billing.

Berg and his producing partner Sarah Aubrey were thrilled that their dream of a nautical adventure was finally coming to fruition, thanks to the popular board game.

Aubrey explained that for the most part, naval films are period pieces because in modern warfare, sea battles do not often take place.

“We have not seen the modern navy in its full glory on screen, with these ships and weaponry, in this kind of scope and scale,” she said.

A clear hint, no doubt, of the scope, scale and ambition of the movie itself.