Monopoly movie passes GO at Lionsgate and Hasbro

When Transformers became a big hit in 2006, Hasbro saw an opportunity to adapt other properties that lent itself to feature films. There had already been Transformers animated shows prior to the movie, so the company tried its hand at one of its most famous toy lines, which also had been a popular cartoon, G.I. Joe. While G.I. Joe didn’t quite do business like they hoped, as of this year, the seventh entry in the Transformers films has been released. Then came Barbie. And after the talk that Mattel is looking to capitalize on Barbie‘s big box office blowout, Hasbro is now looking to collect more than $200 on a Monopoly film adaptation.

According to Variety, the recent Lionsgate acquisition of Entertainment One or eOne, which is a film and TV operation out of Hasbro, is now putting a bevy of possible titles in development for film projects. One of the projects mentioned is one that had been long attempted to somehow be adapted for the big screen, Monopoly. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said in a new statement, “This sale fully aligns with our strategy, and we are pleased to bring the process to a successful close. Lionsgate’s management team is experienced in entertainment and adept at driving value, and we’re glad to have found such a good home for our eOne film & TV business. We look forward to partnering with them, especially on a movie adaptation of Monopoly.”

Cocks added, “Entertainment remains a priority for Hasbro. Hasbro will continue to develop and produce entertainment based on the rich vault of Hasbro-owned brands. We will also bring to life new original ideas designed to fuel all areas of Hasbro’s blueprint including toys, publishing, gaming, licensed consumer products, and location-based entertainment. As part of the sale, we expect to move to an asset-lite model for future live-action entertainment, relying on licensing and partnerships with select co-productions.”

It was reported that last November, Hasbro was looking to sell its eOne assets, but the deal excluded the properties, “Peppa Pig,” “Transformers,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Magic: The Gathering,” “My Little Pony,” “Power Rangers,” “Play-Doh,” “Monopoly” and “Clue”. According to Variety these titles will see “significant development, production and financing capabilities” support across film, TV, animation and digital shorts as they’ve been rolled into Hasbro’s brands licensing and merchandising operation.