EXCLUSIVE: Everyone’s favorite board game is getting the Hollywood treatment as sources tell Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios, Chernin Entertainment and Hasbro are teaming up to bring The Game of Life to the big screen. The project is in development at Amazon MGM Studios and is based on one of the most iconic and beloved board games in history. Sean Anders is directing the film from a script by Allan Loeb. Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin and David Ready and Hasbro Entertainment’s Zev Foreman will produce Anders and John Morris.
Plot details for the film are currently being kept under wraps. Cyrus Warner and Alex Jacobson will oversee the project for Hasbro Entertainment.
Originally created as “The Checkered Game of Life” in 1860, The Game of Life has sold over 70 million copies across 59 countries and 26 different languages. Known for its signature spinner and intergenerational charm, the game invites players to chase their dreams, as they navigate careers, relationships, and unexpected twists on the road to success.
Insiders say Chernin and Hasbro had been trying for some time to figure out an idea for a Game of Life movie and following a meeting Loeb, found the perfect angle and quickly set up the package, tapping Anders to direct. Amazon moved fast to board the project and the film will now be a big priority at the studio as Loeb pens the script.
Anders and Morris are a veteran filmmaking duo who have directed, written, and produced numerous hit films over the past two decades. They both wrote and produced the Apple TV musical comedy Spirited, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, and Instant Family, starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne — both of which Anders also directed. They also both wrote the star-studded Horrible Bosses 2, which Anders also directed and Morris also produced. Their previous shared credits include Dumb and Dumber To, We’re the Millers, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Hot Tub Time Machine, and She’s Out of My League.
Loeb is an established writer, producer, and actor. He is known for writing such films as Collateral Beauty, directed by Oscar winner David Frankel and starring Will Smith, Edward Norton, and Kate Winslet; Just Go with It, starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler; The Switch, directed by Oscar nominees Josh Gordon and Will Speck, starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston; The Dilemma, directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James; and the hit crime-thriller 21. He also wrote the upcoming film The Best Is Yet to Come, directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Mary-Louise Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Anders is represented by UTA, Mosaic, and Yorn Levine Barnes. Morris is represented by CAA, Mosaic, and Yorn Levine Barnes. Loeb is represented by WME and Marks Law Group.
The Game of Life film is part of Hasbro Entertainment’s ongoing strategy to elevate storytelling and produce films and series based on Hasbro’s most iconic brands, working with top talent, studios, and distribution platforms Hasbro Entertainment’s recently announced projects include a re-imagining of Clue across film and television (both scripted and non-scripted) with Sony; Forgotten Realms, a live-action series based on Dungeons & Dragons, currently in development at Netflix; a deal with LuckyChap and Lionsgate to produce a film based on Monopoly; an unscripted adaptation of Monopoly for Netflix; a major live-action film and television universe adapted from Magic: The Gathering, produced alongside Legendary Entertainment; an animated Magic: The Gathering series currently in production at Netflix; a live-action Power Rangers television series in development with 20th Century TV for Disney+; a My Little Pony live-action film, the first live-action adaptation in the brand’s history, in development with Amazon MGM Studios; game shows based on Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, which were recently renewed for second seasons by The CW, and many more.
Chernin Entertainment’s film division, led by President David Ready, is behind many critically acclaimed films, including the Academy Award-nominated Ford v Ferrari, Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated Hidden Figures, Golden Globe winner The Greatest Showman, Spy, The Heat, and the Planet of the Apes franchise. Recent productions include Back in Action, currently the seventh most-watched Netflix film of all time, the Fear Street trilogy, Slumberland, and Luther: The Fallen Sun. Its upcoming film slate also includes Apex, 11817, Luther 2, Heartland, and The Big Fix for Netflix, Altar and The Backrooms with A24, and multiple projects under its new first-look deal at Apple TV+.