Remember that movie deal that Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) signed not long ago with General Electric's (NYSE: GE) Universal Pictures for the express purpose of bringing some of its board game brands to the big screen? Well, I'm happy to report that the first one appears to be in development. And it's the one I was rooting for!
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Ouija board is getting the big-screen treatment. Sure, Ouija boards have been featured in films before; heck, my friends and I used a Ouija board in a short film we made years ago. But, this time, Hasbro is hooking up with Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes production company to give the concept a proper cinematic adaptation, one specifically geared, I have no doubt, to increase the value of Hasbro's brand equity and to, like this needs to be even stated, sell more Ouija boards!
Michael Bay is a pretty competent producer/director. He was responsible for Transformers, as I'm sure you'll recall, and he's been hard at work the last few years on remakes of famous horror films. He's already been involved with remakes of The Amityville Horror and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and he is working on new takes of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the Thirteenth. He'd better get the latter right, since it's one of my favorite films!
I would imagine that he won't be doing anything too gory with the Ouija board concept, since I'd have to assume Hasbro wants to target this to all ages. But let's hope it's scary and edgy. Mattel (NYSE: MAT), of course, wants it to be lame. Well, Mattel better watch out; with a toy line such as Transformers spawning an enormous hit at the multiplex, Hasbro's management is certainly filled with confidence when it comes to translating its brands to celluloid. And now that Bay is on board with the Ouija, there's no telling how popular the Hasbro game will become (the Ouija is just a game, right?).
Disclosure: I own shares of General Electric; positions can change at any time.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-31-2008 @ 11:00PM
Stacy said...
Of course, no one is probably going to believe me or care what I have to say. But, the OUIJA board is not just a game. I wish they would stop marketing as that and pull them from the store shelves that is usually in the toy section. Of all the people that had experiences with it including my family have had bad experiences with it. I'm not going to say what. But, its just a warning to those that think its "just a game."
6-01-2008 @ 9:30AM
Cecilia said...
Make a movie, fine, but I would agree with the last comment. Quija board is not just a game. Quija board invites things form another place that are not always too nice. While I think it is natural curiosity to want to see the other side of the supernatural, it's not always a smart thing. Entities have a way of messing with peoples minds, as it suggests things. Children are more open to attacks, but adults are also open to them. Better they play with a deck of Tarrot cards and use intuition, something that comes from oneself.
To end, giving chances to the otherside, those we don't know to come in is not a smart and irresponsible to others and self.
6-01-2008 @ 9:46AM
Mark said...
You 'believers' are certifiably looney. It frightens me that your vote in November will count as much as those of us who can separate fact from fiction. How can you pick a leader for this nation when you still think you can talk to ghosts. P.S. If you see Santa, I'd like a new big screen TV.