Strollerderby

When Board Games Become Major Motion Pictures

Posted by Jen Chaney

Toys have been turned into movies before. It happened with "Transformers." Same deal with "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl."

Still, I find something particularly odd about making a film based on a board game. But that's exactly what Hollywood plans to do with ... wait for it .. Monopoly.

As mentioned recently in the Hollywood Reporter, the production of the Monopoly movie is moving forward and ... wait for it again .. Ridley Scott has officially decided to direct. Yes, THAT Ridley Scott, the same guy behind "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator." Honestly, what's next? Martin Scorsese signing on to helm "Hungry, Hungry Hippos"?

Apparently Hasbro, the company behind Monopoly, has other motion picture plans in the works, including film versions of "Ouija Board" and "Battleship." (We can all guess what the climactic line of dialogue will be in that last one, right?)

To be fair, Monopoly doesn't mark the first time a board game has inspired a movie. We all remember the big screen version of "Clue." (OK, some of us do. Vaguely.) Still, somehow this concept feels like a new low for movie ideas. Then again, perhaps I am wrong.

Maybe Americans are simply dying to see another classic "Kid MovesThimble Around Board, Kid Tries to Buy Park Place But Realizes He Has No Money, Kid Gets Bored and Ditches Monopoly to Play Video Games Instead" story. It's so cliche, though. I mean, that's basically the same exact plot as "No Country for Old Men."

You tell me if I'm wrong. Seriously, I know you're capable of doing that based on the stick incident. Does the "Monopoly" movie sound like a great idea? Would you take your kids to see it? And who should play that dude with the monocle?


+ DIGG + STUMBLE

Comments

 

brianmack said:

Robot Chicken did a parody of a Hungry Hungry Hippos movie a few seasons ago.  Hilarious.  Then again it was less than 2 minutes long.  Can't imagine 90 minutes of a Monopoly movie.

Show me the money!

November 20, 2008 2:23 PM
 

jonmark4 said:

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December 16, 2008 1:14 AM

About Jen Chaney

Jen Chaney is the movies editor and a DVD columnist for washingtonpost.com. Her byline has appeared in The Washington Post, People magazine, USA Today and the Utne Reader as well as various other newspapers around the country. She is the mother of a one-year-old boy, who has not yet learned the word Xanadu. But he will. Trust us, he will.

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