The Script For The Movie About The McDonald's Monopoly Scandal Sold For $1 Million And Will Star Matt Damon With Ben Affleck Signed On As Director
THR- The bidding war that erupted over a Daily Beast story published on July 28 about a decade-long scam involving the McDonald’s Monopoly contest has resulted in one of the most lucrative rights deals for a single article in movie history, sources with knowledge of the deal tell The Hollywood Reporter.
In the end, it was 20th Century Fox and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Pearl Street Films’ bid of $1 million — a huge sum for an 8,700-word web feature — that won out over other bids from Universal, Netflix and Warner Bros.
Affleck has committed to directing the project, with Damon set to star, presumably in the central role of antihero Jerome Jacobson. An ex-cop hired to oversee security on the sweepstakes, Jacobson started a side-hustle selling high-value playing pieces — including many $1 million prizes — to a wide network of colorful and unsavory types.
I wish there was a way to buy stock in a movie putting up absolute astronomic numbers at the box office. Because I would bet my life savings and my kid’s life savings (haha jk we haven’t saved anything of note for them) that this movie will break non-super hero movie records. $1 million is a goddamn bargain basement price for this script. By the rash of reboots, prequels, and sequels, it’s pretty clear Hollywood has a raging hard-on for nostalgia. And nothing tops the warm feeling the thought of McDonald’s, Monopoly, and McDonald’s Monopoly gives a person. I have already filled this site with enough stories about my love of Chicken McNuggets, Sweet & Sour Sauce, Orange Drink (RIP In Peace), Happy Meals, etc. And I’m pretty sure the only reason people buy Monopoly is because they love the thought of Monopoly due to some warm childhood memories of playing a game that you never finished, debating the best tokens or properties, and telling stories about people getting caught cheating.
Well the McDonald’s Monopoly game was a beautiful marriage between these two behemoths of capitalism that also promised idiots like me a chance to win a million dollars to go along with their delicious Supersized meal. If that’s not the American dream, I don’t know what is.
The story about the scandal obviously went viral last week, with Coley’s blog about the conspiracy being Must Read material. So people clearly are extremely interested in the story and Hollywood is striking while the iron is hot. Add some stories about mobsters and the Goodwill Hunting boys to a film, and you have a goddamn blockbuster on your hands. Right? To be honest, I don’t actually know if Matt Damon still moves the needle like he used to while I do know that Ben Affleck has pretty much become a living, breathing meme ever since Batman vs. Superman and the images of that ghastly gigantic tattoo were revealed.
Regardless, I still think this movie is too much of a surefire hit to fail mostly because all I can think about is McDonald’s, Monopoly, and McDonald’s Monopoly since I first heard about this story.
P.S. For the record, here are my Top 3 Monopoly pieces:
Dead Last. Iron- You lost the game before it even started if you were the fucking iron.
3. Top Hat- Makes you feel classy and distinguished in a game centered around business. Will do in a pinch.
2. Dog- I love the pooch but he loses points for looking like the kind of dog that would have an annoying high-pitched yelp that would drive you nuts. Pretty much Martin’s robotic dog Flipsy from The Simpsons.
Fuck Flipsy.
1. Car- Being able to make the car engine sound while fake driving around actually made boring ass Monopoly games fun. If you aren’t first in Monopoly, you’re last. And you had a better chance at coming in first if you were the racecar. That’s just a fact, Jack.
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P.P.S. I also must include in every Monopoly blog that I write that I once won a game by having the only monopoly on the board which was Baltic and Mediterranean. Easily on the Mount Rushmore of most impressive things I have ever done in my life.