Director Ridley Scott will helm the bizarre big screen adaptation of popular boardgame Monopoly.

The Gladiator moviemaker has been signed by studio giant Universal to bring the long-running game to life.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ridley will give the Monopoly movie a futuristic edge akin to his 1982 epic Blade Runner.

Corpse Bride screenwriter Pamela Pettler has also been drafted in to create a storyline for the film.

The unlikely subject matter is just one in a line of Hasbro games to get big screen makeovers as part of an exclusive pairing with Universal Studios.

Transformers filmmaker Michael Bay is producing a Ouija Board feature, while a film version of beloved classic Battleship is also in development.

The Hasbro-Universal collaboration "Monopoly" is jumping a large number of spaces up the board.

The feature project has brought on Pamela Pettler to write the screenplay; She penned Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride," Gil Kenan's "Monster House" and the upcoming animated adventure "9," produced by Burton and Timur Bekmambetov.

And Ridley Scott, who has been attached as a producer on "Monopoly" and has been mentioned as a possible director, is now officially attached to helm the project, with an eye toward giving it a futuristic sheen along the lines of his iconic "Blade Runner."

In addition to Scott, Giannina Facio and Hasbro's Brian Goldner are also producing the movie, which will shape a narrative out of the iconic real-estate game. Lawrence Grey will oversee for Universal and Bennett Schneir will oversee for Hasbro.

"Monopoly" marks the latest Hasbro property to look to pass go and head to the big screen. Board games and branded properties have become more attractive as studios look to mitigate risk by finding built-in audiences.

Universal is working with Hasbro on several projects as part of a long-term development deal. Platinum Dunes is producing its feature adaptation of "Ouija Board," while the maritime classic "Battleship" is also in development. Elsewhere at Hasbro, Paramount this summer is set to release Stephen Sommers' feature based on its "G.I. Joe" character. And "Trivial Pursuit: America Plays" is now airing as a syndicated television program.

Hasbro, Scott and Pettler are all repped by WMA

The blue-eyed star of films like Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid had died at home on Friday surrounded by family and close friends, said Jeff Sanderson.

Newman was nominated for an Oscar 10 times, winning the best actor trophy in 1987 for The Color Of Money.

In May 2007, he said he was giving up acting because he could no longer perform to the best of his ability.

"I'm not able to work any more... at the level that I would want to," he told US broadcaster ABC.

"You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention.

"So I think that's pretty much a closed book for me."

Earlier this year, he pulled out of directing a stage production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men in Connecticut because of unspecified health problems.

Broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson, who interviewed Newman for a documentary, said the star had been "a real giant of the cinema".

"He was the link between the great time of Hollywood, the Cary Grant and people like that, and Tom Cruise," he told BBC News.

"He fills the gap between the two, and fills it in a most extraordinary, dominant manner."

Hit films

Although his handsome looks and piercing blue eyes made him an ideal romantic lead, Newman often played rebels, tough guys and losers.

"I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

He appeared in some 60 movies, including Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, The Sting and Hud.

Along the way, he worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood - including Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall and Tom Hanks.

He also appeared with his wife, Joanne Woodward, in several films including Long Hot Summer and Paris Blues. The star later directed his wife in movies such as Rachel, Rachel and The Glass Menagerie.

But his most famous screen partner was undoubtedly Robert Redford, his sidekick in both Butch Cassidy and The Sting.

In addition to his Academy Award for best actor, he was given an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft".

In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.

His philanthropic efforts included the establishment of summer camps for children who suffered from life-threatening illnesses.

He also donated profits from his Newman's Own food range to a number of charitable organisations.

Newman's last film role was as the voice of Doc Hudson, one of the most famous racing cars in history, in the Pixar animation Cars.

It was perhaps a fitting epitaph for the actor, who had a lifelong fascination with the sport - and put his film career on hold in the 1970s to become a professional racing driver.

He is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

GW Olympics - Speedrun Event II[/size]

Contestant	Run Time
Dada	0:54:909
DeadPhoenix	0:54:909
goat	0:55:292
Mr. L	0:55:292
Guana	0:55:342
ASE	0:55:392
Omcifer	0:55:475
HL	0:57:139
Esh	0:59:352
Lazrael	1:00:517

• First open the ROM.
• When you're ready, you should go into the menu and choose (File -> Record Movie...).  Don't bother typing in the author information or changing the name of the recording, but make sure you choose "Now" in the "Record From" field.
  
• Your movement is now being recorded! You should see a red dot in the bottom-right corner of the screen to indicate that you're recording.
• Now play through the level and choose File -> Stop Movie when you're done (or when you want to try again).

• Are you sure this FM2 is the actual recording file? It's only about 16 KB!
  Yes, FM2 files are the recordings.  The reason why they're so small is because they don't actually contain any video data, they really just contain a log of all the keys that you pressed during the recording (and a save state, in our case).  That's also why everybody needs to have the EXACT same ROM file.  Since only all key presses are logged, correct replay of the movie is at the mercy of the emulated internal state of the machine, which will undoubtedly be slightly different when using a different ROM.  That's why you can only use the ROM that has the exact name as described above.
  
  
• I can't find the ROM.
  Go on IRC and bug me for it (Esh).
  
  
• What about cheating? Is it possible?
  Yes, it's possible to cheat by slowing down the emulator or using save states.  The emulator was made for "tool-assisted" speedrunning and thus has those capabilities.  We expect that nobody will actually do this, but if it does happen we'll likely be able to tell.  It's possible for one to erase his tracks, but that's difficult.  Short answer: don't worry about it too much.
  

GW Olympics 23/08/08 Update[/size]

• The Olympic Mapping Event has finally opened and is ready for you to begin working on your maps. As mentioned in the topic, there'll be three rounds over the next three weeks. It's a tough call, expect tears and blood, but at the end of it there'll be three GW Olympic champions. Check out the topic here.
  

• The Speedrun Event, which was voted as the Heatman level from Megaman 2, is currently being lead by Lazrael with a run of 1:56:52. He made a few mistakes (including going the wrong way at one point) so don't be discouraged, his score is beatable (ho ho ho laz). Get over to the topic and submit your score now.
  

• Only a small update for the Netplay Fighting Event, the chosen game has been decided as Street Fighter Alpha 3. Keep a look out for the topic appearing sometime soon in the VG forum.
  

• Through the talk of the GW Olympics, two more possible events have popped up, including Tetris and Toribash. It's looking more and more likely that a Tetris event will make it's entrance to the GW Olympic Games, and a Toribash event is also very possible. Let your opinion be heard over at the GW Olympics thread.
  

GW Olympics 15/08/08 Update[/size]

• So the GW Olympics was announced over in the General forum, with a list of possible activities. Over the next few weeks, these events will be popping up around the Videogame forum, so make sure you sign up when they arrive.
  
• The Netplay Tournament Event has a topic open over in the VG forum deciding which game the event will be taking place in. So far Street Fighter Alpha 3 is in the lead, though closely followed by Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Also in the poll are Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Street Fighter 2 Turbo.
  

• Details of the Team Fortress 2 Teams Event have been leaked, the event will most likely be in teams of 5 or 6 competitors in some Capture the Flag matches.
  

• The Speedrun Event is deciding which game and level the event will take place on. Have your say now.
  

GW Olympics - Speedrun Event[/size]

Contestant	Run Time
Dada	1:38:38
DeadPhoenix	1:49:07
Harland	1:49:53
Omcifer	1:52:28
Bobberticus	1:53:13
Lazrael	1:56:52
-	0:00:00
-	0:00:00

• First open the ROM.
• Then load the save state that you've downloaded before (File -> Load State From...).  You'll begin playing the level after watching the boss animation.
  
• Immediately after loading the state, you should go into the menu and choose (File -> Record Movie...).  Don't bother typing in the author information or changing the name of the recording, but make sure you choose "Now" in the "Record From" field.
  
• Your movement is now being recorded! You should see a red dot in the bottom-right corner of the screen to indicate that you're recording.
• Now play through the level and choose File -> Stop Movie when you're done (or when you want to try again).

• Are you sure this FM2 is the actual recording file? It's only about 16 KB!
  Yes, FM2 files are the recordings.  The reason why they're so small is because they don't actually contain any video data, they really just contain a log of all the keys that you pressed during the recording (and a save state, in our case).  That's also why everybody needs to have the EXACT same ROM file.  Since only all key presses are logged, correct replay of the movie is at the mercy of the emulated internal state of the machine, which will undoubtedly be slightly different when using a different ROM.  That's why you can only use the ROM that has the exact name as described above.
  
  
• I can't find the ROM.
  Go on IRC and bug me for it (Dada).
  
  
• What about cheating? Is it possible?
  Yes, it's possible to cheat by slowing down the emulator or using save states.  The emulator was made for "tool-assisted" speedrunning and thus has those capabilities.  We expect that nobody will actually do this, but if it does happen we'll likely be able to tell.  It's possible for one to erase his tracks, but that's difficult.  Short answer: don't worry about it too much.
  

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac has died at the age of 50.

The star was best known in the UK for film roles in Ocean's Eleven, Charlie's Angels and Transformers.

But in the US, he achieved critical and popular acclaim for the long-running sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him two Emmy award nominations.

He was admitted to hospital in Chicago last week and died early on Saturday morning due to complications arising from pneumonia, his publicist said.

Damica Taylor said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs.

However, he said the condition went into remission in 2005.


Mac is survived by his wife Rhonda, daughter Je'Niece and a granddaughter.