Universal rolls dice with Hasbro

Pair sign six year pact

The properties include Monopoly, Candy Land, Clue, Ouija, Battleship, Magic, The Gathering and Stretch Armstrong.

The deal comes after the successful screen transformation of the Hasbro property Transformers, which DreamWorks and Paramount turned into a Michael Bay-directed global hit, and which has a sequel scheduled to begin production this year.

Hasbros G.I. Joe will be a 2009 tentpole for Paramount Pictures, with director Stephen Sommers just beginning production on the film. Lorenzo di Bonaventura has shepherded both properties as producer.

Universal now has exclusive access to Hasbro properties, excluding Transformers and G.I. Joe.

Deal was announced by U chairman Marc Shmuger, co-chairman David Linde and Hasbro chief operating officer Brian Goldner. The parties were put together by WMA, which reps the toy and board-game maker.

Like G.I. Joe, several Hasbro branded properties have gone the development route as features over the years. The property with the most current momentum is Monopoly, which Ridley Scott and Scott Free have been developing.

Scott, who directed American Gangster for the studio, will next direct the Russell Crowe starrer Nottingham for Universal.

This deal gives Universal access to some of the greatest brands in the world, Shmuger and Linde said in a statement. Hasbros portfolio of products has tremendous emotional resonance with children and adults. They offer an exciting opportunity for us to develop tentpole movies with built-in global brand awareness, which is a key component of our slate strategy.

Goldner said: Universals creativity and worldwide marketing and distribution strength make them the perfect partner. Todays Hasbro is so much more than a traditional toy and game company, and this partnership is a powerful example of how we are offering our consumers new ways to enjoy unique and immersive experience with our brands.