Hasbro and Sony Pictures Into the Game of Risk
Hasbro is continuing its brand extension in Hollywood once more as they have let Sony acquire the rights to the popular board game. Sony Pictures made the announcement today saying they have acquired the motion picture rights to classic board game invented in 1957 by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse as “La Conquête du Monde” (Conquest of the World).
In 1959, Parker Brothers (now a division of Hasbro) published the game we all came to know as Risk.
Risk was unique because it introduced groundbreaking game concepts. It was the first board game to offer non-linear movement. Although the rules were simple enough, the strategies required to win the game were not. Risk pushed the envelope and remained unmatched by any other game on the shelf; quickly becoming a phenomenon with millions of copies sold throughout the world.
The film will be produced and developed by Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir and Overbrook’s James Lassiter. It will remain to be seen what top level talent they will get to develop and be in the film but rest assured that hasn’t been an issue with any of Hasbro’s latest developments.
Just for fun look at this list of talent they have secured on other board games and properties being made in the film world.
Transformers/Transformers 2 - Producer – Steven Spielberg, Director – Michael Bay, Writers – Kurtzman and Orci with Shia Lebeauf and Megan Fox starring.
G.I. Joe - Director – Steven Sommers, Writer – Stuart Beattie, nice big ensemble cast, etc.
Monopoly - Ridley Scott is directing and we are told the concepts behind the game, greed and corruption, will serve as major foundations for this film which may have a futuristic element to it. This is all rumor right now but should be interesting with him at the helm.
Candyland - Etan Cohen ( writer Tropic Thunder, Men and Black 3) is writing the screenplay for this family adventure film.
Clue - Gore Verbinski directing! He directed the Disney Pirates trilogy which was a lot of fun.
Battleship - Peter Berg is producing and directing this on the sea battle!
Ouija - Michael Bay is producing with Tron: Legacy writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz writing the screenplay for this little horror adventure.
Stretch Armstrong - Steve Odekerk is putting the final touches on a superhero-comedy script based on the long-defunct, elastic-limbed muscleman.
You have to be impressed by the company and their brand efforts but ultimately will all of this help sell toys? I bet it does.
