Universal, Hasbro Secure Partnership

UNIVERSAL CITY/PAWTUCKET,
February 20: Universal Pictures has signed a six-year partnership to produce at
least four motion pictures based on Hasbro brands, including Monopoly, Candy Land, Clue, Ouija, Battleship, Stretch Armstrong
and Magic: The Gathering.

Hasbro will partner
exclusively with Universal for the feature films, with the exception of the Transformers brand and GI Joe. The first movie from this deal will be released
in 2010 or 2011, and Universal will release at least one film a year after
that.

“This deal gives Universal
access to some of the greatest brands in the world,” said Marc Shmuger and
David Linde, the chairman and co-chairman of Universal Pictures. “Hasbro’s
portfolio of products has tremendous emotional resonance with children and
adults. They offer an exciting opportunity for us to develop tentpole movies
with built-in global brand awareness, which is a key component of our slate
strategy.”

“Universal’s creativity
and worldwide marketing and distribution strength make them the perfect
partner,” added Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s COO. “Today’s Hasbro is so much more
than a traditional toy and game company, and this partnership is a powerful
example of how we are offering our consumers new ways to enjoy unique and
immersive experiences with our brands.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski