Netflix Is Turning the Drama of ‘Monopoly’ Into a Reality Competition Show

If you’ve only played one board game in your life, chances are it’s Monopoly. Since Parker Brothers bought the rights in 1935, the game has been released in many forms, from a card game to an extra-long version. Monopoly has even gone international, selling in over 100 countries and appearing in more than 40 languages. Now all we need is a competitive reality show based on the board game, and Netflix is about to make that wish come true.

According to Deadline, the streaming service has successfully bid on the rights to turn Monopoly into an unscripted series. The source described the new show as a big “social experiment” contest in which participants battle it out for money and try to outlast their competition. Think of something similar to Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge series, which gained massive popularity during its first week. Other competition shows based on Hasbro games—like Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit—have also found success, per Nerdist. 

As of now, it’s unclear when the series will arrive on Netflix, when it will go into production, and what types of competitions it will involve. In addition to the unscripted TV adaptation, a live-action movie is also on the horizon. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein—the filmmakers behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)—will write it. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie, who’s no stranger to turning nostalgic IP into blockbuster entertainment, will be producing.

This won’t be the first time Monopoly has been adapted for screens. The Strong National Museum of Play shares that a prime-time game show based on the board game aired in 1990, only running for 13 weeks on ABC. At the time, game shows tended to perform better in daytime slots and syndication, which may have brought the short-lived series to a close. Luckily, many episodes are available to view on YouTube.

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