Candy Land, the Movie! Monopoly, the Movie!

So you’ve probably heard by now about the G.I. Joe movie being made, along with a sequel to Transformers (see my anti-Transformers rant here), but did you know that this Hasbro deal with Universal is pretty much busting out all over? There’s a film version of Candy Land on the way, with director Kevin Lima (Enchanted) and writer Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder and Madagascar 2) taking the reins. There must be endless story opportunities here that escape me at the moment, because there are a bizarre number of homemade Candy Land movies on YouTube. I kid you not.

Monopoly is also coming down the pike, with director Ridley Scott (Ridley Scott?!) “attached” to the project, either as producer or director, or both. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Scott is “attached to helm the project, with an eye toward giving it a futuristic sheen along the lines of his iconic ‘Blade Runner.’”

Ok, this could be awful or really fantastic. Rich Uncle Pennybags as a rogue android? The roadster as a futuristic killing machine? The thimble as ... a transforming explosive device bent on taking over the world? Hmmmm. And, seriously, what would this be rated? I'll bet a buck it will be an unfortunate PG-13. (There's really no reason a thrilling, entertaining movie can't be made with a PG rating.)

For documentary lovers, Monopoly is the topic of Under the Boardwalk, similar (perhaps) to Word Wars, the documentary covering the crazy world of competitive Scrabble players ( a really fun movie, by the way). Under the Boardwalk is filming now, and will continue throughout 2009, following through with the Monopoly Championships in October in Las Vegas. The filmmakers are seeking people with Monopoly stories of their own; so if that’s you, or you’re interested in the tournament in October, visit their web site for more info. (You can see a trailer there, too.)