Monopoly will head to theatres as a live-action film courtesy of Barbie, Harley Quinn actor Margot Robbie
Robbie’s production company might just give Rich Uncle Pennybags the Ken treatment.
Everyone’s least favourite family night board game has been targeted for a film adaptation by Margot Robbie, via her production company LuckyChap. Variety reports that the Barbie actor, along with partners Tom Ackerley and Josie McNamara, have partnered with Hasbro to produce a live-action version of real estate board game, Monopoly.
The announcement came from Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s Adam Fogelson during the 2024 CinemaCon at Las Vegas, who told attendees that Robbie and her company expressed “a clear point of view” on how they would translate what was once a playable satire of landlords and is now one of the most popular board games in the world.
“I could not imagine a better production team for this beloved and iconic brand than LuckyChap,” Fogelson said. “They are exceptional producers who choose their projects with great thought and care, and join Monopoly with a clear point of view. We are tremendously excited to be working with the entire LuckyChap team on what we all believe can be their next blockbuster.”
Lionsgate is the new owner of Hasbro’s old entertainment wing, having purchased eOne last december during the toy and game company’s ongoing effort to shed less profitable branches (along with 1,100 laid-off staff) and rededicate itself to licencing out more lucrative properties such as Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers and Magic: The Gathering. Board game films don’t exactly have the best track record - anyone remember 2012’s Battleship - but Barbie was a blockbuster success in every sense of the word and brought in $1.45 billion and several awards.
“Monopoly is a top property — pun fully intended,” LuckyChap reportedly said. “Like all of the best IP, this game has resonated worldwide for generations, and we are so excited to bring this game to life alongside the wonderful teams involved at Lionsgate and Hasbro.”
Hasbro’s head of film Zev Foreman apparently characterised Monopoly as “an incredible platform for storytelling opportunities”, which is a generous compliment to a board game whose legacy is better and more accurately described, at best, as a dreaded holiday activity and, at worst, a criticism of capitalism folded callously back into the machine. Hasbro’s mobile version, Monopoly Go, earned $2 billion in its first 10 months and is developed by Scopely - a company fully owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.