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'Monopoly': The Movie?

Feb 20, 2008, 06:38 PM | by Nicole Sperling

Categories: Movie Biz

Reaffirming the adage that all the good ideas in Hollywood have already been taken, Universal Pictures is now mining the properties of game company Hasbro. The studio, which does not own a DC Comics or another franchise-generating brand, has signed a six-year strategic partnership with Hasbro to produce at least four movies. Off-limits to the company are Transformers, which Paramount/Dreamworks already turned into a $700 million franchise and has a sequel in the works, and G.I. Joe, which director Stephen Sommers is currently filming, also for Paramount.

Titles that are up for grabs by Universal include the classic board game Monopoly, the kids' favorite Candy Land, the seance game Ouija, and the action figure Stretch Armstrong, to name a few. While these may not sound like the best concepts to turn into movies, it illustrates the lengths to which a studio will go for a little name recognition to offset the astronomical marketing costs associated with opening a movie. Agency William Morris orchestrated the deal.

Kevin Tostado Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 11:51 AM EST

I'm producing and directing a documentary about the game of Monopoly called "Under the Boardwalk." It will feature interviews with some of the top players from around the world, as well as cover the history of the game and showcase how Monopoly has become such a huge worldwide phenomenon.

You can check out some clips from the interviews and follow our progress as filming continues at http://www.MonopolyDocumentary.com

cmm Mon, Feb 25, 2008 at 04:54 PM EST

hey, if its anywhere as wonderful as Clue, then it has to be great. Can we agree that Clue gets more quotable with each viewing?

Nick'd Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 04:36 PM EST

When you actually think about the Monoply story - it's kind of a dark story - you make lots of money, buy lots of property, go to jail - drama! Maybe it should be a series...

kvnbcnfn Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 02:56 PM EST

Clue the movie is one of the best comedy spoofs in the world. it would be cool if they could do another good one, but i have my doubts.

David Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 09:44 AM EST

I could totally see a Stretch Armstrong movie... either animated or real life (kinda like a Last Action Hero). Candyland/Ouija are also interesting ideas.

DJ Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 07:59 PM EST

Candyland would be awesome. It's the only one of the games you mentioned that already comes with a cast of characters. Character=good movies. It's a long shot, I know, but it could end up being a fun character-driven fantasy not unlike The Wizard of Oz.

Valerie Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 06:57 PM EST

I could totally see a Ouija teen/horror flick, or maybe, MAYBE, a Candyland movie for kids. But Monopoly ? Not so much.

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