Many people were very surprised of the news of Disney taking over Lucasfilm, dreaming about crossovers between Star Wars and the Disney universe. Now we can imagine similar crossovers, with Shrek and Fiona playing Monopoly in the forest or the Penguins of Madagascar fighting the Decepticons on the big screen, as Hasbro, the company that owns the Transformers, My Little Pony and Action Man is in advanced talks to take over DreamWorks Animation, the New York Times reports.
According to the publication, Hasbro would pay in a mix of cash and stocks a yet undisclosed amount for the big screen animation company. DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is said to seek a deal of at least $30 a share, a significant amount over the current price of the company’s stocks. DreamWorks Animation shares have closed at $22.37 this Wednesday, meaning that the market value of the company is a little under $2 billion at this moment. Katzenberg is expected to stay with the company once the deal is completed. For the company the deal with Hasbro would mean a whole new chapter.
Hasbro is the second largest toy maker in the United States, behind its rival Mattel (which owns brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, or the Disney Princess toys). With finding the right Hollywood studio the company would find a new market for its toys, some of them the protagonists of several popular movies already – think Transformers or G. I. Joe. Brian Goldner, CEO at Hasbro, has sought to transform the company into a global media entity, similar to the LEGO group. Some of its attempts were successful – the Transformers movies grossed over $3 billion – and some were not, like the 2012 science fiction flick called Battleship. Taking over DreamWorks Animation would be beneficial for both companies – Hasbro would team up with a studio responsible for blockbusters like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, while DreamWorks would have the opportunity to create new movies based on an already successful line of toys.