Hollywood Seriously Investigating Rubik’s Cube License

by on Feb.18, 2011, under movies article

It’s a fantastic part of 80s pop-culture, a puzzle toy with 30 years of tradition that may give you the overwhelming urge to throw something heavy against the wall. Yup, it’s the Rubik’s Cube. With 350 million frustration cubes sold worldwide, there’s suddenly attention on the toy for a bizarre reason. Whereas the Rubik’s cube has been licensed to many companies in the past, particularly manufacturers of Branded Merchandise, the rumour spilling from entertainment websites is that the Rubik’s cube license will be used in an upcoming movie project.

Yes, really.

The word from Hollywood insiders is that CAA, a powerful talent agency, as been approaching studios and looking for a buyer for the apparently valuable franchise. And CAA aren’t some two-bit obscure agency either: they represent Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey. But the storylines being clicked out of their Branded pens so far have seemed a little on the weak side: an Erno Rubik biopic would hardly have the ups and downs of ‘The Social Network’ and current concepts seem to float around the idea of a Rubik’s cube tournament. Ok, so they could turn it into a Karate Kid-ripoff where a troubled youngster’s housekeeper teaches him the ancient art of Rubik’s twisting to win the tournament against the Rubik’s Cobra Kai (they attempt to roundhouse kick you in the hand whilst you’re in a twist off or something), but that’s probably not going to happen. Or better still, a Saturday Night Fever period piece with John Travolta dancing on a giant disco Rubik’s cube. I guarantee it’ll be better than Battlefield Earth.

The license isn’t the first to raise eyebrows in recent years. Pac-Man rights were purchased by Crystal Sky in 2008, but the resulting LSD-fueled hysteria movie never actually surfaced. Hollywood clearly needs a shake-up. They’re obsessed with the ‘brand’, no longer content with Branded clothing sales: the movie must carry a merchandisable name itself.