After the hype of Barbie, the Mattel Cinematic Universe officially arrived with 16 new movie adaptations in the works. Industry competitor Hasbro wants in on the race. Let the feud between the MCU (patent pending) and HCU begin. Announced March 18, Hasbro is teaming up with Amazon MGM Studios and Chernin Entertainment to bring The Game of Life to the big screen.
The adaptation is currently in development at Amazon MGM. It won’t be the first time Hasbro has taken one of its toys to the silver screen. The tycoon has already produced several movies for Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony. There was even a Battleship movie back in 2012. Adapting The Game of Life, though… that will be interesting. Mostly because the game is basically just a walk through, well, life. It’s nothing wild like sentient automobile robots or talking ponies with special talents.
Sean Anders will direct and produce the film. Producing alongside Anders is John Morris, Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin and David Ready and Hasbro Entertainment’s Zev Foreman. The script comes from Allan Loeb.
As of now, we have no idea what the plot will be about. It could go a number of ways, as the game is essentially a simulation of real-life scenarios as players travel from early adulthood to retirement. You can pick a job, get married, have a family, etc. The game also has fun, random situations for you to play through as you move along the board. It’s curious to imagine how this could be turned into a movie. Hasbro could go very literal as they’ve done in the past, or perhaps they’ll take a more unique approach and go for a Jumanji-type vibe. Even a Wreck-it-Ralph-style thing with the pieces living on the game board would be cool.
The Game of Life is just the tip of the iceberg for Hasbro Entertainment’s new-and-improved cinematic universe. The brand is also working on a re-imagining of Clue with Sony, a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series with Netflix, a Monopoly movie with Lionsgate, and a live-action adaptation of Magic: The Gathering with Legendary Entertainment. That’s just to name a few. Look out Mattel Cinematic Universe, looks like you’ve got some competition.