Hasbro is looking to expand its Hollywood presenceas more of the toy company’s brands are being looked at as possible movies, or even TV shows. TheTransformersfranchise has proved to be worth billions, andG.I. Joeis already being reimagined withSnake Eyesset to arrive later this year. Now, Entertainment One is digging into the Hasbro treasure chest to see what other brands might be worthy of adaptations.
Entertainment One, stylized as eOne, waspurchased by Hasbroearlier this year for $3.8 billion. The company has produced projectsScary Stories to Tell in the Dark,1917,Judy,The Walking DeadandPeppa Pig. Now, they’re looking at Hasbro brands that haven’t yet been tapped as franchises. While it’s unclear what direction or form these potential projects will take,Dungeons & Dragons,Power RangersandAction Manwere mentioned by Pancho Mansfield, eOne’s president of global scripted programming at the recent UK Screenings event. Mansfield had this to say.
“We’re just wrapping our arms around it and we’re excited to begin. We’re going to continue doing what we’re doing and we have this greattreasure chest of IPand worlds to bring to life. You know what has a following and then you try to find the right visionary. We’re meeting with all kinds of writers to ensure we have the right approach for whatever the piece is. There are some central brands we will be focused on.”
Several of the properties mentioned, such asDungeons & DragonsandPower Rangers, alreadyhave new movies in the works.Action Man, meanwhile, would be a new addition. Hasbro controls tons of popular brands, Furby, GoBots, Mr. Potato Head and Beyblade, just to name a few.BarbieandMonopolyhave movies in the works already, andMy Little Ponyhas been successfully expanded across various media platforms. But there could be room for further projects.
The idea seems to be that eOne will develop properties and Hasbro, via its ownAllspark Pictures, will cut deals with studios to bring them to life.Transformersis set up at Paramount, for example, while Sony (and now possibly Netflix) is working on theMasters of the Universereboot. Noel Hedges, eOne’s executive vice president of acquisitions, explained that the Hasbro deal is about providing stability.
“In order for a distribution business to be healthy, it has to acquire and support the in-house projects and put its hand to a myriad of different types of IP. It gives us a perception of stability, nowadays people want to work with companies that aren’t going to disappear. If it’s a solid presence, then you’re going to get longevity and support.”
Outside of whatever new projects spring up, it was recently revealed that Hasbro has two newTransformersmovies in the works, one of which is said to be based onBeast Wars. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further developments are brought to light. This news comes to us viaDeadline.
