Universal and Hasbro are back in business on Ouija. The studio let go its adaptation of the board game in August due to budgetary concerns. But, according to a report by The Wrap [1], the project has been reconfigured and re-set up at Universal, which has it slated for release in 2013.
Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir will produce for Hasbro. Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form will produce for Platinum Dunes, and Jason Blum is producing for Blumhouse Productions.
Originally conceived as a big-budget tentpole, The Wrap reports that the new Ouija is a scaled-down project. The movies Blumhouse has been making for Universal have been under $5 million and Ouija is expected to follow suit.
Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes first partnered on Vigilandia, which is currently in production. After that working partnership, according to The Hollywood Reporter [2], Universal and Platinum Dunes approached Blumhouse about taking Ouija in a new direction.
Universal's Battleship, also based on a Hasbro game, stars Liam Neeson and Taylor Kitsch and is set for release on May 18. But the studio is no longer making Stretch Armstrong, which has been acquired by Relativity, or Candy Land, which will now be made by Sony. Last year, Universal dropped plans for a screen adaption of the popular board game Clue.
Links:
[1] http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/ouja-movie-back-universal-35963
[2] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hasbros-ouija-movie-returns-universal-296839