Hasbro Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Margot Robbie‘s next producing endeavor? A Monopoly movie!

Carolyn Giardina Chris Hemsworth, the voice of a young Optimus Prime, and Brian Tyree Henry, the voice of a young Megatron, got an enthusiastic welcome at CinemaCon as they introduced a first look and 3D scene from “Transformers One,” Paramount‘s animated origin story based on the Hasbro toys. “This origin story is how they transformed from brothers in arms to sworn enemies,” said Henry from Las Vegas on Thursday. In the clip, Optimus Prime, Megatron and their friends “proven worthy” are given their powers to transform — and awkwardly get accustomed to using those powers.

We knew this was coming as indicated in the coda of last summer’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but the G.I. Joe team and Transformers are getting together. It was a storyline played out for the Hasbro brands in their 1980s Marvel published comics.

Margot Robbie will produce a “blockbuster” live-action feature film based on the board game Monopoly, it was announced today (April 10).The project was announced today’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where the actor’s production company, LuckyChap, was confirmed to be working with toy company Hasbro on the film. Lionsgate will develop the film.Monopoly is one of the most popular board games in the world and has sold over half a billion copies since its creation in the early 1900s.While details of the plot have not yet been shared, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson said LuckyChap have a “clear point of view” with the direction they want to take the film.“I could not imagine a better production team for this beloved and iconic brand than LuckyChap,” Fogelsen said.

Lionsgate and Hasbro have entered into a deal with Barbie producer LuckyChap to shepherd development and produce Monopoly, a feature based on the classic board game. The project is currently in development and Hasbro Entertainment will also produce. The news landed during Lionsgate’s presentation at CinemaCon this morning in Las Vegas.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Wordle is celebrating a major milestone, as the popular online word-guessing game from the New York Times recently released its 1000th puzzle. As part of the #Wordle1000 celebrations, the newspaper released a list of the five hardest Wordles to solve, sharing both the puzzle number and players’ success rate.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Black Bear has hired Courtney L. Cunniff as senior vice president of film.

Jordan Moreau Roll for performance! “Twenty-Sided Tavern,” the first official Dungeons & Dragons live theatrical experience, is coming to a New York theater this spring. The popular tabletop roleplaying game, which was brought to the big screen last year in the film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In “Twenty-Sided Tavern,” the audience plays a role in the show by voting on key story decisions through an app.

Michaela Zee The CW has closed deals on game show versions of the classic board games “Trivial Pursuit” and “Scrabble,” Variety has learned. Both the “Trivial Pursuit” and “Scrabble” game shows are being produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW and Lionsgate Alternative Television. “Scrabble” is also being produced by Mattel Television Studios.

The CW is officially in the Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit business.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Lionsgate closed its $375 million acquisition of studio Entertainment One (eOne) from toy company Hasbro Wednesday. The deal adds 6,500 film and television titles to Lionsgate’s existing library, including Showtime hit “Yellowjackets,” ABC’s “The Rookie” and Discovery’s “Naked & Afraid” franchise.

Lionsgate said today its acquisition of global entertainment platform eOne from Hasbro is done.

They left a lasting impression on youngsters growing up in the late 90s and noughties, and now Furby is back for 2023. Albeit with a new, slightly less-sinister look than the original.

Giant toymaker Hasbro is laying off 1,100 employees, following 800 staff cuts announced earlier this year, as CEO Chris Cocks cited a tough business climate that’s been slow to recover. That’s about 20% of the company’s global workforce.

Payday developer Starbreeze Studios has announced a new co-op Dungeons & Dragons title.Starbreeze will both develop and publish the game, with the title planned to launch in 2026. The game currently holds the codename of Project: Baxter and is being produced in Unreal Engine 5.

Former Coronaion Street star Helen Flanagan has announced she is to make her stage acting debut in what she describes as the "perfect" role. Helen, known to millions as Rosie Webster in Corrie, is to make her theatrical stage debut as Miss Scarlett in the world premiere UK tour of Cluedo 2.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The Super Bowl isn’t the only big football property that will be crammed full of advertising. Amazon’s Prime Video has sold out all the commercial inventory attached to its new “Black Friday” game, the first event the NFL has earmarked for the day after Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday-shopping season, according to Danielle Carney, head of NFL ad-sales for the company. Amazon has also sold out of ad inventory in the “Thursday Night Football” games slated for November 16 and November 30, she says, in part because the company has tried to sell broader ad packages that connect an ad message across a broader swath of content.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer When it comes to life’s most difficult negotiations, sometimes you need a squishy friend by your side. That’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher’s policy for the contentious ongoing contract talks her union is embroiled in with Hollywood’s major film and TV studios.

EXCLUSIVE: eOne’s long-serving President of International Distribution, Stuart Baxter, is leaving ahead of the Yellowjackets and The Rookie studio ahead of its $500M sale to Lionsgate, we can reveal.

There are so many different themed versions of Monopoly and Barbie is finally getting her own edition!

Hasbro’s chief executive said the toy giant’s renewed focus on its roots by selling eOne was a hard decision but the best one for the company, which will save in terms of management distraction and cash.

The CW is closing on a deal to turn Trivial Pursuit into a gameshow hosted by LeVar Burton.

LeVar Burton is reportedly returning to the airwaves again with some new hosting duties.

Hasbro has set its leadership team for its “asset-lite” entertainment division.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Hasbro is launching a new division called Hasbro Entertainment, which will unify the company’s film, television, animation, and digital media businesses. Olivier Dumont will serve as president of Hasbro Entertainment, while Zev Foreman and Gabriel Marano will serve as the head of film and head of television, respectively.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said the planned split of Lionsgate and Starz will take place in the first quarter of 2024, a change from the prior outlook for early fall of this year.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Losses narrowed and revenues climbed as film hits such as “John Wick: Chapter 4” helped power Lionsgate’s quarterly earnings. It’s a time of change for the company, which is exploring separating its motion picture and television groups from its Starz streaming and pay TV business, and relaunching them as two publicly traded entities. In the near term, Lionsgate reported revenues of $909 million, a 2% increase from the $893.9 million it logged in the prior-year quarter.

Following the announcement this morning that Lionsgate has agreed to acquire Entertainment One from Hasbro for $500M, eOne’s top film and TV executives, Steve Bertram, President, Film & TV, and Michael Lombardo, President, Global Television, are preparing to exit.

Hasbro will move to an “asset lite model for future live action entertainment” following the $500M eOne sale, according to CEO Chris Cocks.

Lionsgate has acquired Entertainment One’s (eOne)TV and film operations from Hasbro for approximately $500 million. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.

Hasbro has confirmed the sale of Entertainment One (eOne) to Lionsgate for $500M, which should close by the end of this year.

There are so many different themed versions of Monopoly and Barbie is finally getting her own edition!

Speculation is intensifying that Lionsgate is getting closer to a deal to acquire the Hasbro-owned Entertainment One.

Naman Ramachandran eOne is shutting down its U.K. theatrical distribution business, owner Hasbro has confirmed to Variety. Hasbro acquired eOne in 2019 for $3.8 billion. The theatrical business in the U.K. was robust at that point with titles like “The Aeronauts,” “Sorry We Missed You” and “Official Secrets” displaying decent legs at the box office. In early 2020, eOne scored a mighty box office success with Sam Mendes’ awards season darling “1917,” which grossed more than $57 million in the U.K. There was a steady flow of releases in the months following. From 2021, a series of cost-cutting measures began, with eOne announcing that it would be laying off 10% of its film and television staff. This was followed by eOne selling its music division to The Blackstone Group for $385 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Hasbro’s reshaping of eOne continues with multiple sources telling us that the latter will cease theatrical operations in the UK.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has established pole position to acquire the Hasbro-owned Entertainment One, sources tell Deadline.