The Monopoly movie is on its way: How is this a good idea?

Ever fear that Hollywood is running out of original ideas and scraping the barrel? Well, this news won't assuage any sense of consternation.  

A live action Monopoly movie has been announced, with studio Lionsgate and Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap reportedly closing a deal for John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.  

According to Deadline, the duo behind the recent Dungeons & Dragons movie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, has been chosen to pen a screenplay based on Hasbro’s classic board game.  

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. 

There have been rumours over the years that Ridley Scott was attached to create a comedy based on the game. In 2019, Kevin Hart was set as lead with Tim Story directing. But it was not to be. 

Then, Lionsgate extended its development rights to the board game with its purchase of eOne, which was completed in December 2023.

“We knew LuckyChap would be a beacon for the best talent in town, and Lionsgate & Hasbro are thrilled that Goldstein & Daley have decided to join the fun,” said Erin Westerman, co-president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We’ve been longtime admirers of their work - telling bold, original, intelligent stories for all audiences. They are the perfect architects for this franchise.”

It’s still unclear how LuckyChap plan to spin a narrative story from the world of Monopoly. However, considering the company behind hit films such as Promising Young Woman and Saltburn is still high on the success of its biggest coup, 2023’s Barbie, they’ll be trying to recapture some of that same buzz.

Predictably, the reactions online have been mixed, with the majority of online fans saying: Do not pass Go.  

“How TF do you make a movie about Monopoly? What’s next, Hungry Hungry Hippos” one X user stated, while another asked: “What is the plot even gonna be about?” 

One user questioned the relevance of the game in modern culture. “How are they gonna do this? WHY are they gonna do this? I asked some young folks if they played Monopoly or Yahtzee, and they said ‘What?’. Never heard of either. Who will pay to see a Monopoly movie?” 

One board game enthusiast declared: “MONOPOLY IS A GAME NOT A MOVIE”. 

Still, there were some positive responses...  

“Margot Robbie is producing, this might actually be good”, said one fan, followed by some casting ideas: “Which actors should play Mr. Monopoly? My money’s on Bryan Cranston or Paul Giamatti.” 

So, what do you think? Collect 200 or go straight to (movie) jail?  

LuckyChap will most likely want to apply the same approach they did with Barbie. They added some existential dread to everyone’s favourite doll, so maybe the best-case scenario for Monopoly: The Movie is that it turns out as a sly critique of consumer capitalism and the system’s exploitative practices. That might work.  

And before everyone gets the pitchforks out, let's not forget that the announcement of a film based on Mattel’s biggest property was initially met with derision, and Barbie went on to make over $1.4bn at the global box office and was nominated for eight Oscars. Can they catch lighting in a bottle a second time with one of the world’s most popular board games?

Possibly. Or Monopoly: The Movie could be some sort of sick self-fulfilling prophecy sullying the good name of a game originally intended to criticise capitalism, and further proof that the risk-averse bean counters in Hollywood are only interested in cynically squeezing out every last nostalgia-bait drop from their assets.

Whatever awaits us, two things are certain:

1. It can’t be worse than the Taylor Kitsch / Liam Neeson-starring board game movie Battleship. Surely not...

2. Expect the cinematic treatment of Hungry Hungry Hippos to be greenlit next.

Additional sources • Deadline, Hollywood Reporter