Lionsgate and LuckyChap have secured screenwriting duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein to write the Monopoly movie, marking yet another attempt to transpose the classic board game where players accrue fake cash into real, box-office gold.
Per Deadline, Lionsgate closed the deal with the writing duo, who penned the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film, adapting the titular TTRPG, as the studio continues cornering the market on adaptations of beloved games.
Monopoly Project Passes Go After Years in Development Hell
Fifth Attempt to Adapt Parker Brothers Classic Lands New Writers, Barbie Producers
The property’s journey to theaters has been more grueling than completing an actual Monopoly game, replete with failed attempts to perfect the project for screen. The gestation dates back to 2008, when Ridley Scott envisioned a fantastical adventure to be distributed by Universal. He’d bow out in 2012. After a few update-less years, screenwriter Andrew Niccol (Gattaca) was tapped to pen a new draft in 2015, which ultimately failed to pick up traction. Kevin Hart would be announced as a Monopoly producer and star in 2019, with director Tim Story (Fantastic Four) attached at the helm, but even that more star-studded swing got back-burnered.
|
Year |
Studio/Production Company |
Key People Involved |
Status/Development Notes |
|
2008–2012 |
Universal Pictures, Hasbro |
Ridley Scott (Director/Producer) |
Scott’s vision for a fantastical adventure stalled, and he eventually exited the project. |
|
2015 |
Lionsgate, Hasbro |
Andrew Niccol (Writer) |
Niccol wrote a script, but the project failed to gain momentum. |
|
2019 |
Lionsgate, Allspark Pictures |
Kevin Hart (Producer/Star), Tim Story (Director) |
A new direction was announced, but no significant updates followed. |
|
2023–2024 |
Lionsgate, Hasbro |
Margot Robbie (Producer) |
Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, took over, advancing the project into development with no release date set. |
LuckyChap, the award-winning production company behind Barbie, ultimately over development duties in 2023 after Lionsgate acquired the rights through its purchase of eOne. The acquisition gave Lionsgate control of the world’s most popular board game brand, which boasts nearly half a billion copies sold across 100+ countries since 1935. LuckyChap and Lionsgate finally nudged Monopoly‘s timeline along with this screenwriting hire of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westerman praised the new writing team: “We’ve been longtime admirers of their work — telling bold, original, intelligent stories for all audiences.”
Daley and Goldstein Apply Board Game Magic to New Project
Honor Among Thieves Writers Establish Pattern of IP Reinvention
The writing duo previously struck gold with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which they wrote and directed for Paramount. After two abysmal film adaptations of the Wizards of the Coast classic, Daley and Goldstein earned praise for breathing fresh life into the property after decades of silver-screen dormancy. This credit, along with their work on Game Night, a swashbuckling comedy about board game-playing friends, make them no-brainers for Monopoly.
“Monopoly is a top property — pun fully intended,” LuckyChap commented in a joint press release announcing the newly contracted writers. “Like all of the best IP, this game has resonated worldwide for generations, and we are so excited to bring this game to life alongside the wonderful teams involved at Lionsgate and Hasbro.”
James Myers oversees the project for Lionsgate. Before getting to work on Monopoly, Daley and Goldstein will brace for their next release, Apple TV+ and Skydance’s Mayday starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, available later this year. For a property stuck on “do not pass go” for fifteen years, LuckyChap’s Barbie credentials and the writers’ adaptation experience might finally give Monopoly the chance to collect on its big-screen potential.
Source: Deadline
Monopoly
- Writers
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John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
