As anyone who still can’t believe that the Battleship movie was a real thing (seriously, wtf) will no doubt testify, Hollywood is looking a little strapped for ideas lately. Well, New York Times reports that an unlikely savior might be materializing on the horizon: smartphone apps.

So it’s come to this.

The Times profiles the brand extension efforts of one mobile startup in particular–Outfit7, which is responsible for the Talking Tom app, featuring such memorable characters as “Tom, an irreverent cat, and Ben, a gassy dog.” Yup, that sounds about right.  Read More