The planned Clue animated TV show has seemingly been cancelled, according to a recent update from the writer. Based on the hit board game of the same name, a movie adaptation of Clue was released in 1985 that performed poorly at the box office, but has since gone on to become a cult film. A remake with Ryan Reynolds was in the works, but was cancelled after the rights to Clue changed hands. Now, a Clue animated series that was announced in 2022 has reportedly been scrapped.

In an interview with The Direct's Russ Milheim, writer Dewayne Perkins corrects confusion caused by an IMDb credit showing him as the writer of another Clue movie. He reveals that he was not the writer of the movie, but was, instead, a writer on the animated Clue TV series. However, when asked whether the show was still happening, Perkins reveals it is not, but didn't elaborate on his comments any further. Check out the exchange below:

Milheim: I want to pivot real quick and ask about another project. You are writing the Clue movie. Can you tease anything about what people can expect from the story of that movie?

Perkins: Uh, I can't, because that is not correct. And that's, on IMDb they just wrote it wrong. Yeah, I was working on a Clue television show. An animated show, and they somehow they got conflated. So I can't tell you the plot of the movie, cause I didn't come up with it.

Milheim: Is the show still happening?

Perkins: Um, no. (laughs)

What This Means For The Future Of The Clue Franchise

The Show's Cancelation Could Be Due To Licensing Rights Changing Hands

While Perkins did not go into detail, or elaborate on why the show is no longer moving forward, there is a good chance it could be as a result of licensing rights. The animated show was in development at Fox, but has now been acquired by Sony after Hasbro closed a deal with TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Television. This could have resulted in Sony scrapping development and wanting to start again with a fresh team they put in place, which could explain Perkins' curt answer, and lack of elaboration.

There is no doubt that the prospect of developing more Clue stories is an appealing one, and with the success of movies like Knives Out, there is an audience appetite for murder mysteries. Clue was packed full of smart characters, and reimagining these for TV is a long-term process, and one Sony will have its own ideas about. The switch to Sony will most likely have ended any previous adaptations of Clue movies or TV shows, and a fresh adaptation could well be underway, but this may take some time to come to fruition.

Our Take On A Clue TV Show

It Could Work, But Will Have To Learn From The Movie's Mistakes

While it is unclear at this stage when (or if) a Clue TV series might see the light of day, there is every chance it could be a success when it does. The show will need to learn from the mistakes of the movie, such as the fact that Clue had multiple endings, and thus felt incomplete as a whole spectacle. If the show can channel what worked with the movie, as well as update the material for modern times, and find a clever mystery angle, there is every chance that a Clue TV adaptation could be successful.

Source: The Direct