Back in 2012, Sony Pictures and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions turned over a green card and*began developing a live-action movie*based on the Hasbro board gameCandy Land, with*Enchanted’s Kevin Lima set to direct, Sandler set to star, and Sandler and Robert Smigel set to co-wrote the script. But no one counted on the minions of Lord Licorice—in this case, Landmark Entertainment Group, which yesterday filed a lawsuit to stop the film, claiming ownership of several of the potential characters.
According to*The Hollywood Reporter, Landmark says it was involved with a mid-1980s revamp of*Candy Land’s design, back when the game was still owned by Milton Bradley;*and the company signed a contract at that time*granting a $50,000 fee and future royalties. Milton Bradley later sold the game to Hasbro, but Landmark says that the license that allowed first Milton Bradley and then Hasbro to keep making*Candy Land*board games*did*not*allow for videogames, cartoons, tchotchkes,*or movies derived from*Landmark’s work, without permission and payment.
Landmark’s suit is against Hasbro, and concerns more than just the film. At this time it’s unknown whether Sandler was planning to make a*Candy Land*movie based on the basic rules of the game, which date back to 1945, or whether he and Smigel are writing a script that incorporates characters like King Kandy and Princess Lolly, which Landmark helped create (or, for that matter, the Duke Of Swirl, who postdates Landmark’s involvement).THR*sought a reaction from Hasbro and Sony, but both companies declined to comment. It could be that they’re all already laboriously making their way toward the Gumdrop Path of a generous financial settlement.
