ouija1

Can I make a confession? I’m not 100% gung-ho about Tron Legacy, as I know other writers and Comic-Con attendees have been. Maybe it’s because Tron wasn’t a huge part of my childhood, or maybe it’s because I was underwhelmed by the footage (or lack thereof) at Comic-Con this year. Either way, what we’ve seen so far hasn’t really tickled my fancy yet, although obviously if the movie (or even the trailer) ends up being completely badass, I’m happy to revise my thoughts.

Nonetheless, Disney is certainly positioning the film as a big earner, and it looks like Platinum Dunes sees something in the writing pair of Adam Horowitz and Richard Jefferies, who wrote Tron Legacy’s screenplay. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog, the two have been tapped by Universal to write Ouija, their forthcoming adaptation of the Ouija board “game.” Yes, this thing is actually happening.

We first heard about the Ouija board movie over a year ago, and more recently, Brad Fuller remarked that the film would be a huge, Pirates-of-the-Carribean-like adventure. Now, according to Heat Vision:

The studio is looking at the project as a supernatural action-adventure movie. It is possible that certain rules of the game — never use it alone, never use it in a graveyard, always say good-bye — figure into the plot.

While I am still fairly dismissive of the idea, it’s entirely likely that this thing could get traction with the public. After all, a recent runaway hit at the box office demonstrated that filming a Ouija board actually has some cinematic potential and can still be pretty damn creepy.

However, I remain wary of this new era of boardgame-based films as both artistic and commercial endeavors, and while Horowitz and Jefferies collectively have experience crafting suspenseful, action-filled stories, I think we’re really going to have to wait until Tron Legacy to see if they can actually turn out box office gold. Should they succeed, we might soon see more board-om at the box office than we originally thought possible (Yes, I went there).

  • doggystylesteve
    They made this film already. It's called Paranormal Activity. =\
  • doggystylesteve
    They made this film already. It's called Paranormal Activity. =\
  • doggystylesteve
    They made this film already. It's called Paranormal Activity. =\
  • doggystylesteve took my witty comment... In triplicate...

    I will be curious to see how they decide to craft a story around this.
  • doggystylesteve
    I do things like this alot.
  • LOL! No worries...
  • Reese
    I can't imagine it being better than Witchboard... actually it could probably easily be better than Witchboard.
  • "Captain Howdy, do you think my Mom's pretty? ... Captain Howdy that isn't very nice!"
  • Money_Talks
    Agreed Capt! It sounds like a cross between Gremlins and Twillight with the 'rules' motif...dont feed the board after midnight.....and stay on the road..beware the moon...
  • Sounds like it could end up being a scary version of Jumanji.
  • existenz
    Movies based on board games? So freaking stupid and unimaginative. Monopoly and Battleship are the worst. With Oujia I could see it being a lame Poltergeist meets Jumanji-type film.

    What's next? Here are some ideas for cross-promotion and brand name based films:

    Pepsi: The Movie where some little kid discovers that a magical and rare flavor of Pepsi gives him superpowers.

    McDonalds: The Movie. Fantasy adventure where Ronald McDonald must recruit a team of McDonalds employees and customers to travel to McDonaldland and interact with the Hamburglar, Grimace and the rest of the Happy Meal Gang.

    The Google Paradox -- A conspiracy action-thriller where some hipster college kids must use Google to uncover government secrets and save mankind.

    Ford Tough -- A returned war vet retrofits his Ford F-350 truck to be a badass vigilante machine, used for taking on the gangs that have overrun his town. (Think "Rolling Vengeance" from 1987).

    Boy, the possibilities are endless!
  • Lance_HBomb
    Didn't Robin Williams already make a film similar to this? Jumanji?

    I know it's different, but I found that movie pretty entertaining as a kid.
  • drewbstew
    Is it April 1st already?

    ...cause man, I hope it is.
  • You mixed up the writers. Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, not Richard Jefferies, are writing the Ouija movie. (Read your own headline.)
  • Arupadhatu
    ..the brains behind Felicity, One Tree Hill and Popular:D
    ok, Lost too:P but that one is the worst
  • Arupadhatu
    p.s.suspense doesn't make a good movie, case and point: house of the devil
  • wittyphrase
    Oh, man. The words supernatural action-adventure are giving me more of the family action-adventure, ghost story vibe. I can already see the trailer for this.

    "Never use it alone..."

    Dumb kid walks alone with a Ouija Board.

    "Never use it in a graveyard..."

    Dumb kid sets it up in a graveyard.

    "Always say Good-Bye..."

    Wind blows through the trees, the ground shakes and some CGI ghost played by The Rock pops out of the ground.

    "He broke the rules. Now they will have to set things right."

    Starring Brendan Fraser as the eccentric ghost chasing uncle that everyone believed was crazy except for his nephew.
  • I actually wrote a novel about a Ouija board experience from 1968 through 1970. Yes, hard to believe, but Ouija boards can be genuinely frightening.
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