Netflix is finally going to answer the question: Was it Professor Plum with the candlestick in the hallway? The streaming giant is revealing its latest competition series, an adaptation of the famous board game and movie Clue.
Netflix has recently focused on competition shows, including the IP-based options like Squid Game: The Challenge and the Willy Wonka-inspired Golden Ticket, along with originals like Love Is Blind.
Learn more about the Clue TV series below.
Game Show Premise
While we don’t have all the details yet, Netflix has released some information about the series.
It features a group of contestants who must face physical and mental challenges to collect clues. Then they step into a real-life game of deduction and deception. To win the game, contestants must outwit their opponents and identify the who, where, and with of the crime. Guess right, and money is added to the prize pot; guess wrong, and they could be eliminated.
Of course, the Clue TV series will feature our favorite suspects like Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, and Mrs. White. The best part? There are also red herrings to throw players off the case.
Behind the Scenes
Sony Pictures landed the rights to Clue last year, with the series coming from Hasbro Entertainment, The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), and B17 Entertainment.
IPC, founded by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, is behind popular shows like With Love, Meghan, Indian Matchmaking, and Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal.
B17, founded by Rhett Bachner and Brien Meagher, is known for Extracted, On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, Blue Ribbon Baking Championship, and The History of Swear Words.
Holman, Saidman, Bachner, and Meagher are executive producers alongside Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano and Zachary Edwin.
Success of Clue
Both at game night and on the screen, Clue has been a prominent part of pop culture for decades. The board game has sold more than 150 million copies since its launch in 1949, and has since come out with special editions, themed versions, and even ones connecting other franchises, like Harry Potter.
When interviewed about Netflix’s adaptation, Jeff Gaspin, VP of Unscripted Series, Netflix, said, “Like so many families and friends over the years, we’ve gathered around the table trying to figure out who did it—making Clue a source of nostalgia that everyone shares. Thanks to the incredible vision of our partners at Hasbro Entertainment, IPC, and B17, we’re delivering a fresh, imaginative whodunit competition that will invite today’s audiences into that iconic world.”
Movie Adaptations
As mentioned above, Clue isn’t just a board game. The franchise has also been adapted to the big screen. It was first turned into a black comedy in 1985, directed by Jonathan Lynn.
It centered around a group of strangers invited to a secluded mansion where things start to go wrong. The cast included Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp, and Lee Ving. The film infamously featured numerous endings, confusing some viewers and enthralling others.
There have also been plenty of more recent attempts to reboot Clue in film and television. 2011 saw Universal Studios set up a new movie. Later, in 2016, Fox tried a version with Ryan Reynolds possibly starring. The most recent film attempt came in 2020 from director James Bobin, though none of these came to fruition.
On the television side, Dewayne Perkins was developing an animated version, but it was never greenlit.
Other Hasbro Entertainment Projects
Hasbro Entertainment has taken over the film and television world, creating works based on its brands. In the works are shows for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, and there is a game show based on Monopoly sitting with Netflix.
Hasbro Entertainment also produces game shows based on Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, airing on The CW.