It was only a year ago the world learned that Ridley Scott, the director of "Alien," would be directing a big screen adaptation of the classic Parker Brothers board game "Monopoly." Then, earlier this year, MTV exclusively learned from producer and Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner that the focus of the plot would be the world's financial markets.

While that may very well still be the plan, it wasn't always the case as the story was originally conceived. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, "Looking Glass Wars" author Scott Beddor -- he conceived the original "Monopoly" pitch -- goes into great detail on the ideas that eventually brought a director of Scott's caliber on board. Read more...

Bringing board games to the box office may sound ridiculous at face value, particularly if the game is "Monopoly" and the director is "Alien" and "Blade Runner" visionary Ridley Scott. But Scott and executive producer Brian Goldner, who also happens to be the CEO of "Monopoly" owner Hasbro, have a single driving plot device that they hope will get audiences' attention -- the economy.

"The whole world is about the financial markets," Goldner told MTV News. "You can’t turn on the news today without understanding the financial markets and what’s going on out there."

If there is one underlying theme that will resonate with filmgoers across the world right now, it's the drama behind money and houses. Owning railroads and big red hotels may be a little outside of that everyday scope, but Goldner, who is also producing films based on "Stretch Armstrong" and the "Ouija Board," sees a feature-length story to be told within the the "personal story" he characterizes as the "Monopoly" experience that is worthy of Scott's direction. Read more...

You might suffer a bit of a headache trying to puzzle out which part of this story is stranger -- the fact that Universal is going ahead with a movie based on a board game, or who's directing it. Because The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that Ridley Scott is officially on board to direct "Monopoly" for the studio. Pamela Pettler ("The Corpse Bride, "Monster House") has been brought on board to write the screenplay, and has the tough task of shaping a narrative out of the real estate game play.

Crazily enough, "Monopoly" is one of several Hasbro games being adapted by Universal. They're also developing "Quiji Board" and "Battleship," and it's only a matter of time before we get "Candyland." Read more...