The Long Road of Monopoly Movie Adaptation: From Development Hell to Lionsgate Revival

The Initial Announcement and Development Hell

The Monopoly movie adaptation has been in development hell for over a decade, with its journey beginning in 2008 when Universal Pictures first announced the project.

Adrienne King as Alice Playing Strip Monopoly in Friday the 13th

Since then, the project has faced numerous challenges, switching studios and directors several times, leading to speculation that it had been shelved. However, in 2019, an exciting update arrived with the announcement that Kevin Hart would star in the movie, reuniting with director Tim Story.

Despite this promising development, the project fell silent, leaving many to wonder about its fate.

Lionsgate's Revival and Acquisition of eOne

In a recent press release, Lionsgate made the surprising announcement that the Monopoly movie adaptation is still in development, despite the lack of updates over the past four years.

The entertainment company revealed that it is closing its acquisition of the global content platform eOne from Hasbro, which includes the development rights to Hasbro's Monopoly brand.

This acquisition positions Lionsgate to acquire 6,500 movie and TV titles for its library, signaling a new era of development and growth for the studio.

Monopoly's Journey to the Big Screen

The journey of bringing Monopoly to the big screen has been tumultuous, with multiple studios and directors involved in the project's development.

After Universal Studios and Emmett/Furla Films, Hasbro finally found a home with Lionsgate, enlisting the talents of Andrew Niccol to write the script.

The collaboration with Lionsgate and Hasbro brought the project back to life, with Tim Story and Kevin Hart joining the team. However, the project fell dormant, leading to uncertainty about its future.

Now, with Lionsgate taking action to secure the rights, the project is poised to move forward, signaling a potential revival of the long-awaited Monopoly movie adaptation.