Disappointed by the apparent demise of Poker Face at Peacock? Fear not, murder mystery mavens, because the streamer has a new whodunit series in development. Peacock has won the rights to a new hour-long series based on the popular mystery board game Clue.
According to reports, the series will have comedic overtones, in line with both Poker Face (which will not be returning to Peacock, but may be returning elsewhere with a new lead actor) and Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out films. The series will be written and executive produced by Dana Fox (Wicked: For Good), and directed and executive produced by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). It’s the latest screen adaptation from toy conglomerate Hasbro, which has been in a race with longtime rival Mattel to license their jam-packed toy boxes of intellectual properties; just this morning, it was announced that Vin Diesel will write and star in a film based on Mattel‘s antagonistic androids, the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
What Is ‘Clue’?
Invented by British game designer Anthony Pratt in 1943, the game was originally named “Cluedo,” a play on the board game Ludo; it is still sold under that name internationally. The object of the game is to solve the murder of the wealthy Mr. Boddy (“Dr. Black” in the UK) at his palatial estate; players must determine which of the six suspects committed the crime, with which weapon, and in which room of the mansion. The game has spawned a vast number of spin-offs, several TV game shows, and, most famously, a 1985 comedy movie directed by Jonathan Lynn, co-written by Lynn and John Landis, and featuring an all-star cast of suspects, including Tim Curry, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and Martin Mull. The film had the unusual gimmick of three alternate endings, each with a different murderer or murderers, which were played randomly in theaters; home video and streaming versions of the film edit all three endings into the film. The film, possibly owing to the gimmick, was not a success in theaters, but has since become a cult classic.
A new adaptation of Clue has been in the works for some time. At various points in development, both Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman were attached to star in a new theatrical film based on the game, but the project ultimately never materialized.
A new Clue series is in development at Peacock; no release date has yet been announced.
via Collider