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Step Aside, Chess

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Heading into 2020, few could have predicted a television series about chess would turn out to be one of the most successful shows of the year.

But with Tiger King long in the rearview, Netflix’s smash hit The Queen’s Gambit was watched by more than 65 million households last fall.

Now, Hollywood is doubling down on mind games with an even less likely focal point: the Rubik’s Cube. Endeavor Content and Hyde Park Entertainment have reportedly teamed up to produce a feature film (and full content ecosystem) based on the three-by-three brain teaser.

Cubed-Squared

First, a bit of background. The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor Erno Rubik. Since then, more than 450 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide.

The trademark holder, Rubik’s Brand, lost its European intellectual property rights in 2017 when the EU’s top court said it could not have a “monopoly on technical solutions or functional characteristics of a product.”

Now, the cube is set to enter center stage in the U.S.

  • While details are scant and no release date has been set, Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Endeavor Content will create a full-length feature film based on the best selling puzzle toy.
  • Hyde Park has also partnered with Glassman Media, which created gameshows “The Wall” and “Spin the Wheel” to spool up a game show based on the Rubik’s Cube.

Graham Taylor, co-president of Endeavor Content, said, “The Rubik’s Cube is an iconic and family-friendly brand. In partnership with Hyde Park we look forward to creating film, television, and game show content for global audiences.”

What Else Cubed

For the last few years, “speedcubers” have done battle at the Rubik’s Cube World Championship Finals in Boston, which is sponsored by Red Bull (seriously).

A Netflix-hosted mini-documentary from last year, “Speed Cubers” followed the friendship between two solving savants who competed against each other in the 2019 World Cube Association’s World Championships.

The Takeaway: Stay tuned, this has all the makings of a blockbuster.