Monopoly getting movie penned by writer of Gattaca and The Truman Show

Following in the footsteps of Hasbro's game-to-movie epic Battleship, the toy-maker today announced a deal with Lionsgate to bring Monopoly to the big screen.

No, I'm not kidding.

The good news is that the project has somehow attracted Andrew Niccol, who wrote the scripts for both The Truman Show and Gattaca, to write the boardgame's screenplay.

The movie will be produced by Lionsgate and Hasbro's Allspark Pictures and financed by Lionsgate.

"Hasbro is a partner with incredible global reach, one of the most compelling brand portfolios in the world, and a signature brand in Monopoly that has multigenerational appeal," Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig said in a prepared statement. "Andrew Niccol is the ultimate world creator responsible for such disparate and imaginative films as The Truman Show, Gattaca and The Terminal. He is an inspired choice to develop this timeless property into a big, crowd-pleasing event film that will appeal to kids, families and anyone who has ever played the Monopoly game."

Monopoly, according to the press release, will be a "film for all ages, visually sumptuous, heartwarming and full of action and adventure.

"The story centers on a boy from Baltic Avenue who uses both Chance and Community in a quest to make his fortune, taking him on a fun, adventure-filled journey. It's about making your own luck, what makes you truly rich and, of course, avoiding Jail time!"

It sounds like it might be, as our own EIC Chris Grant put it, a four-hour long movie that doesn't really get started for like 90 minutes and only one person in the theater enjoys.