Gore Verbinski gets a 'Clue'

Gore Verbinski on the set of "The Weather Man"

Credit: Paramount

In the end, the culprit turned out to be Gore Verbinski, in the studio, with a movie camera.

Universal has set the "Pirate of the Caribbean" filmmaker to develop and direct a live-action version of the Hasbro board game "Clue."

The project will be set up through Verbinski's Blind Wink shingle, with Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir producing for Hasbro.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, no writers have been attached to the new "Clue," but who needs writers when you have a 60-year-old board game that has taken in a reported billion dollars in all of its various permutations.

As conceived by Anthony E. Pratt, "Clue" is a deceptively simple game. Players have to solve a murder by properly lining up the correct suspect, weapon and room. Of course, there are traditionally six suspects, six weapons and nine rooms, so there are hundreds of possibilities.

All indications are that Hasbro and Universal are picturing the new "Clue" as a semi-serious mystery/thriller, which would set it apart from Jonathan Lynn's 1985 cult comedy favorite, which featured Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Michael McKean and Madeline Kahn and was built around the gimmick that there were three different endings and theatrical audiences wouldn't know which they were getting. 

It's hard to know how soon Verbinski would be able to get to "Clue." The "Mousehunt" helmer is working on the animated film "Rango" and has also been attached to "Bioshock" and an American version of the Korean hit "The Host."

Meanwhile, Hasbro is also adapting movie versions of "Candyland," "Ouija Board" and "Monopoly."

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