Clue (franchise)

***Clue*** is a murder mystery-themed multimedia franchise started in 1949 with the manufacture of the *Clue* board game. The franchise has since expanded to film, television game shows, book series, computer games, board game spin-offs, a comic, a play, a musical, jigsaws, card games, and other media.

## Board game spin-offs

*Main article: List of Clue spin-off games*

Waddingtons, Parker Brothers, and Hasbro have created many spin-off versions of the game, consisting of alternative rules varying from the original Classic Detective Game. (Such spin-offs are distinct from themed "variants" using the basic rules and game configuration, effectively new skins on the original board game.) In addition to revising the rules of gameplay, many of the spin-off games also introduce new characters, locations, weapons, and/or alternative objectives.

## Computer and video games

Various versions of the game were developed for Commodore 64, MSX, Atari ST, PC, Game Boy Advance, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, CD-i, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and Apple iPhone / iPod Touch.

* *Clue: Parker Brothers' Classic Detective Game* was released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis video game consoles.

* *Cluedo (CD-i video game)* was released for the CD-i.

* *Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion* was released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows.

* In 1999, *Clue Chronicles: Fatal Illusion* was released, which was not based directly upon the board game, but instead uses the familiar characters in a new mystery.

* An arcade version of the game was released on an itbox terminal which involves answering questions with a chance to win money. It is available in many pubs throughout the UK.

* *Clue Classic* was released on June 3, 2008 developed by Games Cafe for Hasbro. It is a single player interactive game based on the latest 2002/2003 Classic Detective Game artwork featuring the original six characters, weapons and nine original rooms.

* In May 2009 Electronic Arts released a version of Clue for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch on the Apple iTunes Music Store, entitled *CLUE: Unravel the Clues and Crack the Case*. This version was an entirely new game, based on the most recent spin-off game of Clue: Discover the Secrets. Additionally, EA's games site Pogo has a hidden-object game called "Cluedo: Secrets and Spies" (or "Clue" depending on market), where each game is a 60-minute "episode" (the object being to complete the game overall within this time limit). "Episodes" are usually grouped into "series" of two or more.

* On the iWin website, there is a Hidden Object Game called "Clue: Accusations & Alibis." It is also based on Clue: Discover the Secrets.

* *Cluedo: Classic Edition* was released on iOS and Android in December 2016. Developed and published by British game developer Marmalade Game Studio, it is a faithful adaptation of the board game on mobile devices. The game was later released for the Nintendo Switch on November 30, 2018 in Europe, and in North America on December 17, 2018.

* Escape room puzzle game *Adventure Escape Mysteries* by Haiku Games included a limited time game based the 2023 edition of Clue, in which you must solve puzzles to find clues and deduce the murder at the end.

## Film and television

### 1985 film

*Main article: Clue (film)*

A comedic film *Clue,* based on the American version of the game, was released in 1985. In this version, the person murdered was Mr. Boddy. The film featured different endings released to different theatres. It received mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office, ultimately grossing $14,643,997 in the United States, though it later developed a cult following. All three endings released to theatres are available on the VHS and DVD versions of the film, to watch one after the other (VHS), or to select playing one or all three endings (DVD/Blu-ray).

### Upcoming film

In 2008, Universal Pictures reported that Hasbro, the makers of *Cluedo*, had licensed several of its board games to the film company for feature film adaptations; among these was *Clue*. Gore Verbinski was announced as director. The film was initially dropped. In August 2016, The Tracking Board reports that Hasbro has landed at 20th Century Fox with Josh Feldman producing for Hasbro Studios and Ryan Jones serving as the executive producer while Daria Cercek is overseeing for Fox. The film will be a “worldwide mystery” with action-adventure elements, potentially setting up a possible franchise that could play well internationally. In January 2018, Fox announced that Ryan Reynolds, who had established a three-year first-look deal with the studio, would star in a live-action remake of *Clue*, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, writers for the Reynolds-led *Deadpool*, its sequel, and *Life*, as scriptwriters. On September 25, 2019, The Wrap reported that Jason Bateman was in talks to star and direct the film. On February 20, 2020, *Variety* reported that Bateman left the project and James Bobin is in talks to replace him.

### Game shows

*Main article: Cluedo (Australian game show)*

There have been several television game shows based upon this game. To date, there have been four seasons of the British version of *Cluedo* (and a Christmas version that in fact shows some similarity to the North American movie), and there have been other versions in Germany (*Cluedo - Das Mörderspiel*), France (*Cluedo*), Italy, Australia (*Cluedo*), Portugal (*Cluedo*) and Scandinavia (*Cluedo - en mordgåta*). The format for each puts two teams (each usually containing one celebrity and one person with law enforcement/research experience) against six in-character actors as the famed colour-coded suspects. There is a new murder victim every episode, who usually has it coming to them for one reason or another. Each episode uses different weapons. In the Christmas episode in the UK the six original weapons were used.

### TV miniseries

*Main article: Clue (miniseries)*

On August 6, 2010, The Hub announced that an original five-part miniseries based on *Clue* was in pre-production. The miniseries premiered on November 14, 2011 and featured a youthful, ensemble cast loosely based on the characters of the board game, working together to unravel a mystery. The short mini-series draws similarities to the original board game and mostly to the 2012 spin-off Clue: The Classic Mystery Game which both featured the characters belonging or having ties to secret societies/houses and fitting closely with the character descriptions.

### Documentary

The *Clue* title and theme were used in the 1986 US documentary *Clue: Movies, Murders, and Mystery*, which took a look at mystery-related pieces of media including *Murder on the Orient Express;* *Murder, She Wrote;* *Sherlock Holmes* and other television series and movies, as well as a look at the board game itself. The one-hour special was hosted by Martin Mull, who had starred in the feature film adaptation the previous year; clips from the movie are seen intertwined with the footage.

### Animated series

Fox Entertainment greenlit an animated *Clue* series in 2021 in partnership with Hasbro's Entertainment One, with Bento Box Entertainment serving as co-production and the animation studio for the show.

## Theatre

### Musical

*Main article: Clue (musical)*

A comedic musical of *Clue,* based on the American version of the game, ran Off Broadway in 1997, closing in 1999. At the start of each performance, three audience members each select one card from oversized versions of the traditional game decks and place them in an envelope. The chosen cards determine the ending of the show, with 216 possible conclusions.

### *Cluedo? The Play* (1985)

Penned by Robert Duncan with the cooperation of Waddingtons, the first official theatrical adaptation of Cluedo was presented by the amateur theatre group: The Thame Players in Oxfordshire in July 1985. The play was subsequently picked up by Hiss & Boo productions and began a successful tour of the UK. A second tour was undertaken in 1990. Like the musical, the play involved the audience's random selection of three solution cards which were revealed towards the end of the play, whereupon the actors would then conclude the play by performing one of the 216 endings possible. Presently the play is not available for performance due to a restriction by Hasbro, since Hasbro has been planning to make a new movie. It is unclear whether the restriction applies to the musical as well.

### Clue: On Stage

Based on the 1985 movie from Paramount Pictures, the play was written by Sandy Rustin. This version of the play also has been edited for a High School and Virtual performance environment. Unlike the other 2 stage adaptations, Clue: On Stage presents all endings, similar to the home video version of the movie.

## Printed material

### Books

*Main article: Clue (book series)*

A series of 18 humorous children's books/teen books were published in the United States by Scholastic Press between 1992 and 1997 based on the *Clue* concept and created by A. E. Parker. The books featured the US *Clue* characters in short, comedic vignettes and asked the reader to follow along and solve a crime at the end of each. The answers are printed *upside down* with an explanation on the following page following each chapter to see if the reader was able to guess correctly or not. The crime would usually be the murder of another guest besides Mr. Boddy, a robbery of some sort, or a simple contest, in which case they must figure out who won. The tenth and final vignette would always be the murder of Mr. Boddy. Somehow, Mr. Boddy would always manage to cheat death, such as fainting before the shot was fired or being shot with trick bullets. However, at the end of the 18th book, Mrs. Peacock kills Mr. Boddy out of starvation and Mr. Boddy *stays* dead. The books feature mysterious-sounding titles such as "Midnight phone calls" "Footprints in the fog" or "The secret, secret-passage".

These books are now out of print but can still be bought from various online retailers in both new and used conditions.

A similar series of books featuring the *Clue Jr.* characters was also published. The first book, unlike the others, features thirteen mysteries, not ten, and is titled simply enough *Who Killed Mr. Boddy?*. The name of the book is usually the name of the tenth mystery in which Boddy is killed.

The books notably depart from the film. Mr Boddy is a trillionaire, and the guests are his friends. But since Boddy has his will made out to his friends, they each try to kill him at one point with the intent on cashing in on his will. The guests are all given some sort of defining characteristic for comic effect, as well as to help the reader discern the culprit. Colonel Mustard constantly challenges other guests to duels, Professor Plum often forgets things, even what he is doing or his own name, and Mr. Green is notoriously greedy. Mrs. Peacock is highly proper and will not stand for any lack of manners, the maid Mrs. White hates her employer and all the guests, and Miss Scarlet is beautiful and seductive. The traits all help the reader identify the guests. For example, if a mystery thief suddenly forgets what he is doing, and another guest scolds him for his bad manners, the reader can safely assume the two guests are Plum and Peacock. Mr. Boddy himself is ludicrously naive, to the point where he accepts any attempt to kill him as an accident or a misunderstanding (such as a dropped wrench flying all the way across the Mansion and hitting him in the head), and invites the guests back to the mansion. This explains why he never seeks any legal action against his "friends," and invited them back despite repeated attempts to kill him. However, after a few books, he wises up enough to be suspicious of them, but continues to invite them over against better judgement.

The *Clue Jr.* series originally had all six characters, but suddenly, some of the characters were taken out, leaving only four. The mysteries usually only included cases similar to the theft of a toy, but sometimes the cases were more serious. They are usually solved when the culprit traps himself in his own lies.

In 2003, Canadian mystery writer Vicki Cameron wrote a new set of mini-mysteries, called the *Clue Mysteries* books. The series is geared toward a more adult audience while still retaining some comic absurdity as did the 1990s series. Only two were published. Both books feature more complex storylines and vocabulary, as well as fifteen mysteries apiece. The first book contains the more modern looking clue game cover by Drew Struzan.

Another book called "CLUE Code-Breaking Puzzles" was released in December 2008 written by Helene Hovanec. The book contains 60 mysteries.

In 2019, the first book of a new series of young adult books entitled *A Clue Mystery* was released and was written by Diana Peterfreund. The books include In the Hall with the Knife (2019), In the Study with the Wrench (2020), and finally In the Ballroom with the Candlestick (2021).

### Comics and graphic novels

*Clue*, a comic book miniseries from IDW Publishing was released in 2017.

A second miniseries titled *Clue: Candlestick* was released by IDW in 2019. This series was written and illustrated by Dash Shaw. It is unrelated to the 2017 series.

## Miscellaneous

### Jigsaw puzzles

A series of jigsaw puzzles (500 piece Clue/750 piece Cluedo/200 Jr. ed.), based on the game was introduced in 1991. The jigsaw puzzles presented detailed stories with a biography for each of the standard suspects. The object was to assemble the jigsaw puzzles and then deduce the solutions presented in the mystery stories from the clues provided within the completed pictures. There were four titles in the 750 piece series: Death in the First Edition, Garden of Evil, Killers in the Kitchen, and Six Cases of Murder.