ROTTEN TOMATOES: Hasbro, Universal Roll Dice On Monopoly, Battleship, More Comments

Hasbro, Universal Roll Dice On Monopoly, Battleship, More

by Jeff Giles | February 21, 2008

Summary

Last summer, we discussed the news that Hasbro intended to develop a number of its board games -- including Monopoly, supposedly to be directed by Ridley Scott -- into feature films. This week, that plan inched closer to reality. Back to Article

(1-58 of 58 posts) | Reply

whiskeyriver writes:
on Feb 21 2008 05:38 AM

Connect Four: The Movie!

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Elixor writes:
on Feb 21 2008 05:56 AM

It's a waste of talent to have Ridley Scott doing a Monopoly movie. If anybody could make a good Monopoly movie, it would be Scott, but I wish he was directing more Fiction or better yet Science Fiction movies.

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Astr0creep writes:
on Feb 21 2008 06:05 AM

This is stupid.

They just made a deal with the writers so why not inject some good Ol fashion ORIGINALITY!

Like NEW franchises from new characters and stories.

Not some adaptations on video games or comics or books or board games (???!!!) or even remakes.

This is the best time for Hollywood to refresh itself and give us something new.

PLEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!

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The Pin writes:
on Feb 21 2008 06:11 AM

Am I the only one who finds it morally repulsive to build a cinematic franchise for the sole purpose of selling a product? I mean, a motion picture to promote universal brand awareness? For a board game??? I realize that most movies intend to sell merchandise based on the movie for a profit, but come on. This is getting ridiculous.

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agniyo writes:
on Feb 21 2008 06:14 AM

Wow, that's the first thing I thought, too:

Ooh, isn't this partnership a powerful example of how Hasbro is offering consumers new ways to enjoy unique and immersive experiences with their brands !!

I think it's an underestimated blight on society how retail marketing drives the quasi-intelligent who are thus employed a little bit insane. Even with all the obvious complaints, it's underestimated if you ask me.

Still, the idea of a Battleship movie cracks me up. It's hard to imagine that this is going to be anything but either twisted, or ridiculous.

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agniyo writes:
on Feb 21 2008 06:28 AM

In reply to this comment (#1591093)
I agree, AstrOcreep!

James Burrows (creator of Taxi, and Cheers and more recent stuff which came along after I stopped watching network TV) made an interesting point about all this. He said in the early decades of television, there were few models of what TV should be, so TV creators derived their inspiration from other sources -- mainly, he thought, real life and literature.

Nowadays, he said (and this was a few years back -- I think it was on "Inside the Actor's studio) everybody in TV derives their inspiration from other TV shows.

I think the same thing roughly applies to movies.

Of course the other thing is that TV seems to be bouyed up right now by an influx of writers coming from the rash of MA Creative Writing programs that have developed in the past couple decades. There's some good writing in TV now, as far as I can see.

I don't know why the same thing hasn't helped Hollywood, except that maybe a) writers have the wrong idea about what a movie IS or b) the business-minded folk in the industry, who fancy themselves creative in their own right (and aren't really), exert too much dominion over the real artists.

My guess is this will eventually hurt them enough to amount to some kind of downfall, one day.

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Jerry Bruckheimer writes:
on Feb 21 2008 06:37 AM

"Scene It!: The Movie"

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frogleg writes:
on Feb 21 2008 07:36 AM

"b) the business-minded folk in the industry, who fancy themselves creative in their own right (and aren't really), exert too much dominion over the real artists."

I think this is much closer to the mark than a). Everyone knows somebody very creative. Everyone has a favorite author. You know there are tons of people out there capable of crafting very good screenplays. But the vast majority of what we see is watered down, commercialized crap like this. It's the bean counters.

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bluestar2000 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:02 AM

Why don't they make Sorry? Or maybe Barrel of Monkeys? The possibletis are endless.

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opTIMus Nerd writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:10 AM

Yeah, the bottom line is what drives insane decisions such as this. The script is incidental as it applies to "making a movie" out of some sort of established "brand." While I cannot sit here and say the original Clue was a bad movie it is easy to imagine it as the game is fairly narrative just by being a murder mystery. I cannot wrap my head around what the EF a Monopoly movie would be about?! Would there be a bunch of rich tycoons racing each other to buy property? Will it be about a the business trials and tribulations experienced by a metal shoe and it's best friend, the metal thimble? Man, I miss good movies.

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Kollikodon writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:12 AM

Risk anyone?

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OperaGhost21 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:14 AM

Why does the idea of Larry David doing a movie based on Sorry seem like it could be gold?

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Gimy writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:22 AM

you know what...this makes the whole "video game movies" genre look intelligent and creative. i'll give MAJOR props to anybody who writes a movie on monopoly that is not only ABOUT the thing(not just a Wall Street rip off) but is actually entertaining. other than filming numerous people PLAYING it(and the ending of "f3ck this, i quit!" that always ensues)...i don't see how this is going to be reality. what, you have four business tycoons buying businesses in real life? how is that Monopoly...thats just a regular movie. and Battleship? you could say Down Periscope...and U-571 were "Battleship" movies. and Ouija has already been made, i haven't a clue what it was called but i saw a movie when i was younger that had the exact same concept. this is just a lame attempt for people to sell something that isn't really there. call it a FAMILIAR name...but with no real concept and/or plot about the actual game

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dgator783 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:36 AM

what? no hungery hungery hippos or Crossfire movie?

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bluestar2000 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:41 AM

In reply to this comment (#1591552)
I think that Hollywood will try to pass off anything as entertainment nowadays.It's about time to hire new writers, that can type up a coherent screenplay, instead of one that's a remake, a sequel, prequel, or based on a tv show or video game.

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TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Feb 21 2008 08:51 AM

Not for nothing, I really LIKED "Clue." ..and 'yes' I'm old enough to remember when it came out (yeesh). It was irreverent and funny and the cast clearly was having a good time making it. If they can have that same f#ck-everything-let's-have-some-fun attitude, then I say go for it.

I've said it before, I'll say it again as they say in politics, "It's the WRITING/DIRECTING, stupid." Source material is irrelevant. Make an entire movie about an old lady being driven around and if it's done well, you get an Academy Award ("Driving Ms. Daisy").

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Dinobot77 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:04 AM

This announcement makes me want to create a top list of board game movies.

My top five!

1 ~ Hungry Hungry Hippos
2 ~ Operation
3 ~ Mouse Trap
4 ~ Risk
5 ~ I Vant to Bite Your Finger (The creepiest game known to man.)

Horable Mentions ~ Fireball Island, Barrel of Monkeys, Light Brite, and Connect Four

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Astr0creep writes:
on Feb 21 2008 09:11 AM

Stratego, Parchesi, Life, snakes and ladders, Toc!, etc

Ooh, ooh, ooh!

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS!

A$$es.

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zsmiller79 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:00 AM

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T REMAKE CLUE!
Its one of my favorite moives and I think one of the best ensmble casts of all time. Tim Curry is hilarious I don't understand why he doesnt do more comedies. Im in love w/ Madeline Kahn!

(Reply to this)

cypress550 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:01 AM

has hollywood ran out of ideas to make board games into movies, come on

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DarthWonka writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:11 AM

Risk, Guess Who, Life, Chess, Checkers

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The_Duckling writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:37 AM

I've got a great idea. Professor Plum accidentally gets stuck on a battleship while buying the Boardwalk just as it's leaving for war. Luckily, he makes friends with a mysterious fortune-telling wackjob named Ouija and a dude filled with corn syrup named Stretch Armstrong. After a 12-15 Sea Monster with Haste kills the crew, they band together to defeat the beast.

I see money already. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Hehehehe

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arendr writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:50 AM

Let's not forget that this has been done before. Pokemon, anyone? The whole point of the movie/tv show was to sell the game.

I'm not trying to justify it. In fact, I'm really turned off by this idea. But it's not like there isn't any precedent.

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arendr writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:51 AM

And to throw my idea in the suggestion box: Chinese Checkers, starring Jackie Chan, Maggie Q, and the "Sulplise Guy" from UHF.

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SPfan79 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 10:55 AM

Has anybody seen that Robot Chicken sketch where the hungry hungry hippos are gritty detectives? Then Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are officers "chutes and ladders?" I'd like to think some studio head saw that skit and said "hey...not a bad idea."

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arendr writes:
on Feb 21 2008 11:44 AM

In reply to this comment (#1591721)
That reminds me: $100 bucks says Owen Wilson will be in at least one of these films.

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TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Feb 21 2008 11:56 AM

arendr:

NO F#CKING WAY... that I'm taking that bet.

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kfarschman writes:
on Feb 21 2008 12:29 PM

That statement that Hasbro and Universal released is the type of godawful business vernacular by petty greedy super capitalists that makes me sick to my stomach and question the quality of humanity. It's that type of thinking that makes capitalism, film, and humans look bad. I guess I'm just glad I'm not apart of any business thinktank that has to think like that otherwise I would shoot myself in the face with glee.

I hope all are flops and they loose tons of money.

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mrdarklight writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:22 PM

I can't wait to miss all of these movies.

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incredible_hulk writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:32 PM

i hope they all bomb in theaters just for them being stupid

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sickofitall writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:34 PM

In reply to this comment (#1591093)
creep ya you are a creep

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quietus28 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:37 PM

A shoe, a car, a thimble, and an iron all inherit a lot of money. They wander around, buying each other out, going past a place called Go, until one of them owns everything and the rest commit suicide.

As an aside, I wonder if a Monopoly movie could reference some of the material that has transcended the game, like the idea of a "get out of jail free" card. I would bet $100 right now that if they make a Monopoly movie, one of the characters will have a self-referential line like that in it.

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Coyote22 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:44 PM

"Candy Land" directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, umm wait a minute here...

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Coyote22 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 01:46 PM

In reply to this comment (#1592073)
Haven't we already seen this one?

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JackHorner1979 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 02:08 PM

Monopoly won't happen. Too many actors will fight to play the "car".

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Lighthope writes:
on Feb 21 2008 02:31 PM

I'm waiting for Tic Tac Toe: The Motion Picture.

Pearls of Wisdom - "Anyone who wants power should immediately relinquish it." - The Doctor (Doctor Who: Profit of Doom)

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Silverevilchao writes:
on Feb 21 2008 02:32 PM

" Let's not forget that this has been done before. Pokemon, anyone? The whole point of the movie/tv show was to sell the game."

Yeah...except that the TV/Movies were so different from their original source material that they became their own entity.

Show = Action, Game = Turn-Based RPG.

That, and they ACTUALLY HAD MATERIAL TO GO OFF OF.

I mean, you have characters, you have narrative, you have plots, and you have a goal, all of which are in the Poke'mon games. Try getting THAT out of MONO-F***ING-POLY.

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Ashron writes:
on Feb 21 2008 03:01 PM

Yeah, the only one of these that might stand a chance (albeit slim) of being good would be Magic, because there is a great amount of source material and back story. But they screwed up Dungeons & Dragons, so they'd probably bone up a Magic movie too.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Feb 21 2008 03:59 PM

In reply to this comment (#1592100)
"I mean, you have characters, you have narrative, you have plots, and you have a goal, all of which are in the Poke'mon games. Try getting THAT out of MONO-F***ING-POLY."

I'm not defending the studios here, but technically you do have that stuff in Monopoly just as you do in Pokemon. Think about it.

Characters: the car, the shoe, the iron are all based off of prototypical characters in the business world.
Plots and goal: well, the goal is to make money. trust me, they'll squeeze some sort of plot out of this.
Narrative: we play games because they're a microcosm of our world through competition. it's very much the same as with a video game or a sport.

Now the problem with this is they will really have to work hard to make it interesting at all. My whole point was that Pokemon was an attempt to capitalize on the easily addicted nature of children. These thought process behind these movies is likely the same.

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Racer Z writes:
on Feb 21 2008 04:01 PM

"Universal's creativity"?! LOL! Is that what they're calling it now?

Somehow, I find it hard to believe Ridley Scott would attach himself to such tripe. After all, right now it's nothing more than a rumor. I'll believe it when and if it becomes official.

At any rate, this is pretty pathetic. I mean, I've learned not to expect much from Hollywood, but how much more can be scraped from the bottom of the barrel? Surely this is evidence that they've finally busted clear through!

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phoenixphire24 writes:
on Feb 21 2008 04:02 PM

I love the Clue movie, which is one of the few games listed with characters and a basic premise that could be used for a film. Do I want to see a re-make? NO. I can maybe see Battleship, but wouldn't that just be a war movie with ships?

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DiscoDan writes:
on Feb 21 2008 11:15 PM

If they can make some movies as good as Clue then I wish them all the best!

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Lux Obscura writes:
on Feb 22 2008 12:23 AM

wow.this sounds really good.
and sarcasm doesn't read well in short internet posts.

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Ciaranmv writes:
on Feb 22 2008 12:33 AM

Ridley Scott on "Monopoly," eh? Hmm...

"What we do in LIFE, echoes in Monopoly"

or maybe a scene with the Monopoly Man bursting out of some guy's chest and then doing a tap-dance?

Could be fun. = )

(Reply to this)

CandyMountain writes:
on Feb 22 2008 03:53 AM

Do they just sit around and get stoned at movie studios now? I mean honestly how else can you come up with such horrid ideas?

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CandyMountain writes:
on Feb 22 2008 03:54 AM

Do they just sit around and get stoned at movie studios now? I mean honestly how else can you come up with such horrid ideas?

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Feb 22 2008 04:10 AM

*sigh* Another sad day for movies. Another nail in the coffin for the art of story. And CandyMountain, I don't think they're getting stoned (if they were, the ideas probably wouldn't be as bad as these). But, yes, almost certainly, they're frying their brains on something.

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manugon writes:
on Feb 22 2008 05:04 AM

I'm writing a script for a trilogy: Tic, Tac, Toe.
It will be filmed back to back and star Christian Bale as O and Hugo Weaving as X.

(Reply to this)

jedimaster5000 writes:
on Feb 22 2008 10:46 AM

HAHAHHAHAHA, they are out of their minds, aren't they?

come to think of it, once upon a time I did feel like that an MTG movie can be good, but right now I change that, since its better if MTG becomes a tv series (or one of those animations they have on CN, you know, like Hellboy)

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MaxFisher14 writes:
on Feb 22 2008 11:58 AM

MONOPOLY THE MOVIE?! Quit possibl the stupidest movie idea I have heard next to WILDHOGS 2, c'mon people get some talent in these studios!

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Feb 22 2008 12:44 PM

In reply to this comment (#1593813)
Actually, if you're a studio executive, Wild Hogs 2 is a great idea. People were stupid enough to throw bucketloads of money at the first one, so doing a sequel is a no-brainer.

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CertifiedRotten writes:
on Feb 22 2008 01:11 PM

Movie Begins...
(Black.....We see a dot, blinking.....zoom it says B L I P)
(sound effect blip blip blip)
BLIP (Morphs to) BATTLESHIP
(Heavy patriotic music in the background)...
(Cut to the inside of a submarine)
**Red lights, sirens
** LOUD WATER EXPLOSION is hear in the background

Young Officer1: Captain! They missed us off of E4

(Captain James L. America, sweat dripping off his chin, while a wry smile dances upon his lips, turns to the young officer)

Captain America: HA! They'll never get us that way..E4...hahaha. Radio the destroyer. Let'em know they need to watch out!

Young Officer2 : Orders sir?

Captain America: H2, FIRE!

(Torpedo launches with US FLAG proudly displayed)
(Tense waiting.... metal creaks, sirens blare)
YO 2: HIT!, HIT!, HIT!

VO (Screaming): YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!

(More Patriotic music...very loud, ear shatteringly loud)

Cut to opening credits

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Feb 23 2008 03:08 PM

In reply to this comment (#1594098)
LOL!! Thing is though, this here script is probably a lot better than the one they'd pay some clown millions to write.

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Spiderbash writes:
on Feb 24 2008 03:00 PM

Can you say awful. There just in it for the money. How could you make a movie based on Monopoly? Well I would probably see battleship because that could look somewhat cool. Make it based on some huge war and the main guys be the navy. Other than Battleship I think that the other board game movies will suck.

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Ghoulette writes:
on Feb 28 2008 12:01 PM

I can't wait to see the fanboy outrage for a Monopoly or Battleship movie.

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Ghoulette writes:
on Feb 28 2008 12:15 PM

And that reminds me: while we're on an adaptation binge, where the hell is my Anita Blake movie, Hollywood? Provided you focus on the early books, there's a great new horror franchise waiting to be made and you're wasting your time on board games?

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Tostie14 writes:
on Sep 02 2008 09:55 AM

I%u2019m producing and directing a documentary about the game of Monopoly called %u201CUnder the Boardwalk.%u201D 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

(Reply to this)

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