Coming Soon
Monopoly Movie Is Going Ahead And It Has The Potential To Be Epic
- Details
- Category: Coming Soon
- Published: Tuesday, 28 March 2017 04:16
While popular console games like Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed, and Hitman have all been awarded their own Hollywood versions over the years, board games have enjoyed little success on the silver screen. Jumanji is perhaps the only notable board game-based movie out there in terms of critical acclaim, and that’s not even an adaptation of a real game- although it would be amazingly cool if it was. Luckily, though, that is all about to change, as a movie about the classic board game Monopoly is going to be on its way to a cinema near you in the next few years.
It stands to reason that it should be the classic property game developed by Hasbro that would warrant its own high-budget shot at becoming a huge blockbuster. The complex family game has been played by over 1 billion people worldwide, and has been published in 47 languages and sold in 114 countries.
There have been so many twists on the classic pastime as well. There are numerous cities to play in including London, Atlantic City, Aberdeen, Chicago and many others. There is also a space edition, a world edition (see above), an Abba edition- you name it, there’s probably been a Monopoly game about it. And it’s not just the variants of the physical board game that fans can play. The game can be played online, and there are videogames like Monopoly Tycoon.
Monopoly has even been immortalised in slot machine format. The Monopoly Big Event slot game is available to play at Fabulous Bingo, and it draws upon features of the board game such as Chance and Community Chest, while also incorporating the reel-spinning thrills of slot machines. The wilds are houses and hotels, and the bonus rounds include rolling the dice and choosing cards. With all these different and exciting ways to play the game, it seems slightly odd that filmmakers haven’t portrayed it on the big screen yet.
The idea of a Monopoly movie has been in the pipeline for quite some time, though. Hasbro have been trying to get someone to make the film since 2009, and originally had Ridley Scott signed up as a producer in 2013. That fell through, however, and now the toymakers are in collaboration with Lionsgate, and Andrew Niccol is tasked with writing the screenplay. Niccol is well-known for his work on such distinctive films as The Truman Show, Gattaca, and In Time, and seems like the perfect choice for a Monopoly project.
The co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Erik Feig said: “[Niccol] is an inspired choice to develop this timeless property into a big, crowd-pleasing event film that will appeal to kids, families, and anyone who has ever played the Monopoly game.”
As yet there is no director attached to the movie, and no information about when fans can expect to go to see the film. It does have a brief synopsis on IMDB, though, where it says that: “The film centers on a boy, from the game’s modest Baltic Avenue, on a quest to make a fortune.”
It should be noted that there have been a few board game film flops over the years. Clue was released in 1985 and based upon the murder mystery board game (see video above). The idea behind it was interesting, and like the game the film had three different possible endings. These endings were distributed randomly among various cinemas. Unfortunately, Clue failed to gross enough to cover its $15 million budget, and is regarded as a failed project even though it has somewhat of a cult following now.It’s hard to say whether a Monopoly adaptation on the big screen will be a success, but Hasbro and Lionsgate may look to Tomb Raider as a source of encouragement. The adventure game is one of the most popular in console history, and the Tomb Raider movies were box office hits regardless of the negative response from a lot of critics. Lionsgate have a history of making great family films, and have a repertoire that includes The Twilight Saga and The Hunger Games. With a great screenwriter also on board and worldwide affection for the game, the Monopoly movie has the potential to be a major hit.