All Signs Point to a 'Magic 8-Ball' Movie

Is Paramount's success with the toy-based Transformers and G.I. Joe films going to their heads? Deadline has an exclusive on the film company's intent to collaborate with toy company Mattel on future film projects. And their plans apparently include a film based on the fortune-telling toy, the Magic 8-Ball.

The Magic 8-Ball film will reportedly be an action-adventure romp, to be produced by Brad Weston. Jon Gunn and John Mann, who also wrote the script for DreamWorks Animation's upcoming adaptation of Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, will be writing the script. (Perhaps they will want to get Mad Men's Jon Hamm to star?)

Paramount is also already developing a film based on Mattel's Max Steel toys and also has production deals with Mattel's rivals, Hasbro, producers and owners of the Transformers and G.I. Joe toy lines.

The Magic 8-Ball is just the latest addition to a surprisingly long list of unexpected toy and board game-based films that are in development, including Stretch Armstrong, Battleship, and Ridley Scott's Monopoly. Sadly, a film based on the greatest board game of all time, Scrabble, is not coming out in the foreseeable future.