Uno the card game is being turned into a hip-hop heist film

Movies based on popular board games are already bordering on the ridiculous just in the concept phase, but it appears that Mattel is looking to take its idea of an Uno movie to new extremes of weirdness. Uno is a pretty simple–but fun–card game and it’s hard to imagine how it could ever be translated into a movie, but new details from The Wrap have revealed just how strange the film might be.

According to the report, Uno is being written by Marcy Kelly and will be taking place in the underground hip hop world of Atlanta, eventually taking the form of a heist movie. Yes, you read that correctly. And to really give that world an air of authenticity, Mattel Films has approached rapper Lil Yachty for the lead role, with the actor leaving the following statement about his involvement:

I played Uno as a kid and still do today, so to spin that into a movie based on the Atlanta hip hop scene I came out of is really special. It hits close to home for me.

The whole idea behind this movie sounds completely ridiculous, although I guess by presenting a move that is so entirely unexpected and unrelated to the game, that could make it work. My biggest concern is how they intend to tie the whole thing into the game and my concerns are that some of the Uno gimmicks may end up ruining what may be an exciting project.

I guess we will need to wait for the final results from directors Robbie Brenner and Kevin McKeon before deciding for ourselves if an Uno action-adventure could work or if we’re better off playing a skip turn card instead.

Last Updated: February 9, 2021