Adam Sandler to Write, Star in ‘Candy Land’ Movie

It’s official, a film based on the beloved Hasbro board game Candy Land is coming to a theater near you.

On Tuesday, January 31, the toy giant announced that funnyman Adam Sandler has been tapped to tackle the lead role in the movie, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures.

“I think it will be a movie for the whole family,” Wayne S. Charness, senior vice president of communications for Rhode Island-based Hasbro, told Masslive.com. “It’s such a beloved brand. You just think about all the imagery in the game, and you can imagine what a wonderful world it will make on the screen.”

Not only will Sandler star in the Candy Land movie, but he’ll also write the script (alongside Robert Smigel) and produce it via his Happy Madison banner. Kevin Lima, the director of Enchanted (2007), is set to be in the director’s chair for this movie.

“The creative talent on board for this movie is amazing and we are excited to bring alive the world of Candy Land for kids and families everywhere,” Hasbro President and CEO Brian Goldner added. “Sony/Columbia has been a wonderful creative partner as we develop another of our games, ‘Risk,’ for the big screen. We are looking forward to working with Sony/Columbia and Adam Sandler and his team at Happy Madison Productions on this film.”

According to AceShowbiz, “Candy Land” is a live-action epic which centers on the adventure of a group, who try to find the lost king of Candy Land. The gang travel through such locales as the Candy Cane Forrest and Gum Drop Mountain.

The game-adapted movie project was initially developed at Universal Pictures, but the studio later ditched this Hasbro film.

Other potential movies adapted from board games which Universal has departed from in recent months include Ouija, Clue and Stretch Armstrong.

Check out a commercial for the Candy Land board game below:

Did you grow up playing Candy Land? Are you looking forward to Adam Sander’s movie adaptation of the game?

via Ace