So long as we're making movies out of board games here, there are some that might work better as narrative films than others, and one of them is Risk. So while I'm not exactly happy to read the news at Deadline Hollywood that Sony has picked up the rights to the game, I suppose it could be worse. After all, we're probably only weeks away from the announcement of an Uno movie.
Risk is a Hasbro property, of course, meaning that the toy company's complete takeover of American filmmaking continues apace. Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, said in the press release that audiences have "shown a great desire for films that bring to life everything that has made these franchise properties stand the test of time. The strategic thinking and the tactical gambles that players must take in the game are what make Risk a classic, thoroughly engaging game. Those elements translated into an action-packed, thrilling story are what will make this a uniquely exciting movie.”
So it'll be a war movie, right? Epic battles across continents has never been a bad thing on film, exactly, and given how plotless the game itself is, they could come up with really any story they wanted. Just as Peter Berg might make a good movie out of Battleship by virtue of the fact he can do whatever he wants with it, Risk might actually have potential. God, I feel dirty just typing that.
