Lionsgate are in the early stages of developing a Monopoly movie and have acquired the talents of writer Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show).

The plan is to turn Monopoly into “big, crowd-pleasing event film that will appeal to kids, families, and anyone who has ever played the Monopoly game“. The statement from Lionsgate went onto add;

“in keeping with a game that has brought so many hours of joy to so many for so long, Monopoly will be a film for all ages, visually sumptuous, heartwarming, and full of action and adventure. The story centers on a boy from Baltic Avenue who uses both Chance and Community in a quest to make his fortune, taking him on a fun, adventure-filled journey. It’s about making your own luck, what makes you truly rich and, of course, avoiding Jail time!”

This news could be good news for fans of Jai Courtney, Sam Worthington and Orlando Bloom as Lionsgate will need suitable actors to bring their inanimate board game pieces to life. I’m surprised that Andrew Niccol has attached himself to the project, the writer of Gattaca, The Truman Show and Good Kill is not the obvious choice. Currently, I would estimate that my interest in a Monopoly movie is on par with any given Adam Sandler ‘comedy’.

If Niccol is involved it stands a chance at being good, but his misfires such as In Time and The Host don’t make his involvement a home run by association. If Monopoly is now heading to the big screen, maybe there is a chance for the Tiddlywinks movie to be announced.

For all my complaining, Clue is one of my favourite Sunday Afternoon Movies and that was based on a game, so maybe there’s a little hope after all. Nope, just remembered that Hollywood made a Battleship movie so scratch that last gasp of optimism.