Hollywood must be struggling because there’s a ludicrous list of movies in the works about nostalgic toys and games.
We had The Emoji Movie where the SMH face and comical poo emoticon – amongst others – essentially became humanised.
Now, we may very well have Uno, Hot Wheels, and the Magic 8 Ball gracing our screens as re-imagined versions of their current status: board games and heavily-gendered toys that we obsessed over as kids.
There are ten films and over 20 TV shows in some stage of development centring around the playthings, gizmos, and gadgets of the past. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this is because the world’s two largest toymakers (Hasbro and Mattel) are at war to be the first place in the market.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Margot Robbie will star as real-life Barbie (makes sense) in a Mattel production, with Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach writing the script – and Gerwig potentially directing.
VICE noted that “the possibilities are endless” in terms of the unconfirmed plot, with predictions that “maybe Barbie and Ken get a divorce, a la Marriage Story, or maybe Barbie navigates the travails of life and love in the Big Shiny City, a la Frances Ha”.
Other movies and shows VICE rounded up included a live-action Hot Wheels movie from Mattel, a Dungeons and Dragons movie from Hasbro (with Variety predicting that Chris Pine will star), as well as a Magic 8 Ball film by Mattel. The production house who brought us Paranormal Activity (Blumhouse Productions) partnered with Mattel for this film. An intriguing collaboration, indeed.
Another highlight on the absurd list of movies includes a Rubik’s Cube movie from Spin Master (fun fact, the owner of Etch-a-Sketch). Variety reports the company will be adapting the popular toy into a film as well as a game show.
Universal is coming out with Magic 8 Ball Action Adventure movie. Because that is what the people want, right? A Magic… 8 Ball… Movie.
— David Bailey (@DavieBails) April 29, 2010
