Hasbro's murder mystery game Clue is being developed into an animated series at Fox. According to Variety, Fox Entertainment has partnered with Hasbro's content studio eOne and Bento Box Entertainment for the series, which does not yet have any writers or producers attached. All three companies are co-producing with Bento Box providing the animation.
Clue is one of the most popular board games of all-time alongside the likes of other classics such as Monopoly, Candy Land and more. The game, which is known as Cluedo outside of North America, was invented by Anthony E. Pratt during World War II. It has been around for almost a decade, having first released in 1949, and today is a household brand name.
“‘Colonel Mustard…In the Conservatory…With the lead pipe.’ By just hearing these colorful phrases alone, you immediately know what they mean — leaving no mystery as to why ‘Clue’ is one of the most beloved board games-turned-IP of all time. We couldn’t be more excited to develop it as an animated series along with eOne and Bento Box,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment.
Clue is a murder mystery game in which the players, each assuming the role of a suspect, strategically work to determine who murdered the game's victim (Mr. Boddy), with what weapon, and in what room of the mansion. Players move around the game board, collecting clues, while deducing which of the suspects is actually the murderer. Details such as character names, the weapons and rooms vary by country, but the concept of the game remains the same.
There have been numerous variations of the Clue board game over the decades and the franchise has also spawned a film, mini-series, musical, and numerous books.
The 1985 black comedy film starred Tim Curry as Wadsworth, but Butler; Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum; Michael McKean as Mr. Green; Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock; Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White; Martin Mull as Col. Mustard; Leslie Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet; Collen Camp as Yvette, the maid; and Lee Ving as Mr. Boddy, the victim. The film features three different endings, which appropriately reflected the multiple outcomes possible in the board game; however, theater audiences were only shown one of them. All three were included in the home release.
“We’re thrilled to team up once again with our great partners at FOX and Bento Box on this exciting new series,” added Pancho Mansfield, eOne's President of Global Scripted Programming. “Clue is an iconic whodunit property that exudes mystery and intrigue, and has fans all over the world. We can’t wait to share our reimagined animated version with audiences.”