A Monopoly movie is coming courtesy of Margot Robbie and Lionsgate
Monopoly — a board game about forcing people into bankruptcy by buying up as much real estate as possible — does not seem like something that would make for an entertaining cinematic escape from reality, but Lionsgate plans to test that theory.
Variety reports that a Monopoly movie is in the works at Lionsgate that will be produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap — the same outfit that backed Birds of Prey, Barbie, and Saltburn. In a statement about the new film, Lionsgate film head Adam Fogelson expressed his confidence in LuckyChap’s “clear point of view” on the Monopoly IP and excitement about the possibility of the game becoming another blockbuster for the production outfit.
Hasbro, which also owns the rights to the Transformers IP, has been warning us for years about its aspirations to kick off an entire cinematic universe of films based on the toys and games it produces. And after the box-office success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, it’s not hard to see why Lionsgate wants to put Uncle Pennybags on the big screen. But we all remember how Battleship worked out, and Lionsgate is going to need a very good plan to make sure that the Monopoly movie doesn’t end up meeting a similar fate.