Ridley Scott’s Monopoly Movie Sounds Insane
Creating movies based on books, comics, or even video games makes sense, but now we’re in the era of movies based on toys. After the success of Barbie, Mattel has created a pipeline of other toy-based movies (including movies based on Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, and Uno), and now Hasbro is jumping on the bandwagon. The board game company hired Ridley Scott to write a movie based on Monopoly, and what the Gladiator director came up with is a script following a Donald Trump-type character in a movie with the comedic tone of an Eddie Murphy 80s film.
Ridley Scott, who is known for his iconic action and sci-fi works such as Blade Runner and Gladiator, recently shed light on the intriguing direction he’s chosen for the Monopoly adaptation. Like many of us, Scott explained how he felt initial perplexity when he heard there would be a movie based on the board game. After accepting the project, the renowned director was left with the challenge of figuring out exactly how he would integrate the game’s iconic elements into a movie fit for an audience.
“Somehow, I have to integrate the game. Do I have to show the game, with people running around on a board, with the large houses and funny top hats and that sort of thing?”
Ridley Scott on Monopoly
He mused, “We had a hard time initially because my head led me down the route of saying, ‘Somehow, I have to integrate the game. Do I have to show the game, with people running around on a board, with the large houses and funny top hats and that sort of thing?’” Surprisingly, Hasbro, reassured Ridley Scott that wasn’t what they were looking for in the Monopoly movie. They just wanted a movie.
There were a thousand different directions Ridley Scott could have taken when crafting the Monopoly movie plot. He decided to take the comedic route. The American Gangster director explained that the film will revolve around a character reminiscent of Donald Trump and his interactions with equally ruthless real estate tycoons. “It’s about greed … Greed becomes, hopefully, hysterically funny,” he added.
Ridley Scott’s Monopoly movie is expected to unfold in the competitive world of high-stakes real estate dealings. It promises a satirical take on the pursuit of wealth. Ironic coming from a guy whose estimated net worth is around $400 million.
To justify his creative choice, Ridley Scott drew a parallel between the Monopoly board and a bird’s-eye view of Central Park at night. “You know, if you hover above Central Park at night in a helicopter, and you look down below, when you’re right in the middle of the park, it looks like a Monopoly board. It’s green, it’s lit, it’s got the most expensive real estate in the world around the edges — and that is where we start.”
“Greed becomes, hopefully, hysterically funny”
Ridley Scott on Monopoly
So, what kind of comedy are we talking about? According to Ridley Scott, the Monopoly movie takes inspiration from classic comedies like Eddie Murphy’s Trading Places. Clarifying that it won’t copy that film exactly, Scott said, “I’m not saying it’s like that, but it’s somewhere around that route.”
As Ridley Scott embarks on the unconventional and no doubt challenging project of turning Monopoly into a feature film, fans and critics alike are eager to see what he comes up with. How will the acclaimed director, who is known for atmospheric thrillers, transform the beloved board game into a captivating cinematic experience filled with humor, greed, and perhaps a touch of nostalgia for eighties comedies? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Source: Vulture
