Will Big Named Toys Become The Next Big Hit Movies?
posted by Outsiders in movies at 09:01 PM on 2009.11.05
The craze for toy-driven feature films has given rise to a new term in the Hollywood lexicon. In production meetings, studio executives have begun asking if a particular project is "toyetic" -- meaning whether its concept can lend itself to a toy, and whether the project will be able to sell tickets and merchandise.
Creative Artists Agency recently signed up Mattel Inc.'s Barbie to star in a live-action feature film at General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures. International Creative Management, another talent agency, sparked a four-studio bidding war for a movie starring Asteroids, a brand from its client, videogame publisher Atari SA.
Yet some of Hollywood's top directors and actors are eager to hitch their names to films starring a toy. Will Smith, signed on with partner James Lassiter to produce a movie based on the board game Risk, for Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures.
Big Wheel, the plastic tricycle, has its own TV show in the works. Even the board game Risk has a deal for a film, to be co-produced by star Will Smith. Smith and Lassiter are also developing a TV show based on the Big Wheel toy for a yet-unnamed TV channel, a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications set to launch next fall.
J.J. Abrams, who directed this summer's "Star Trek" film, is in discussions to produce a movie about Japanese toy line Micronauts, which Hasbro just acquired. Brian Grazer will produce "Stretch Armstrong," the pliant, muscle-bound doll whose roots go back to the 1970s while Ridley Scott has agreed to direct "Monopoly."
The fervor has allowed even the most uncinematic of playthings to get a shot at the silver screen. The Ohio Art Co., which owns Etch A Sketch, says it has received numerous calls from producers interested in acquiring the rights to make a stand-alone film based on the toy. The company has yet to sign a deal.
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The craze for toy-driven feature films has given rise to a new term in the Hollywood lexicon. In production meetings, studio executives have begun asking if a particular project is "toyetic" -- meaning whether its concept can lend itself to a toy, and whether the project will be able to sell tickets and merchandise.
