According to reports, Paramount and toy manufacturer Mattel will team up on a "Magic 8 Ball" live-action adventure feature with a screenplay by Jon Gunn and John Mann.
Mattel's 'Magic 8-Ball' toy was invented in 1946 by Albert Carter, son of a clairvoyant, who marketed and sold the device with Abe Bookman of the Alabe Crafts Company.
The hollow, plastic sphere resembling an oversized billiard 8-ball, contains a cylindrical reservoir containing a white, plastic, 'icosahedral' die floating in alcohol with dissolved dark blue dye. The die is hollow, with openings in each face, allowing the die to fill with fluid, giving the plastic die minimal buoyancy. Each of the 20 faces of the die has an affirmative, negative, or non-committal statement printed on it in raised letters. There is a transparent window on the bottom of the 8-ball through which these messages can be read.
To use the ball, it must be held with the window initially facing down. After "asking the ball" a yes-or-no question, the user then turns the ball so that the window faces up, setting in motion the liquid and die inside. When the die floats to the top and one of its faces is pressed against the window, the raised letters displace the blue liquid to reveal the message as white letters on a blue background.
Typical answers include:● As I see it, yes
● It is certain
● It is decidedly so
● Most likely
● Outlook good
● Signs point to yes
● Without a doubt
● Yes
● Yes - definitely
● You may rely on it
● Reply hazy, try again
● Ask again later
● Better not tell you now
● Cannot predict now
● Concentrate and ask again
● Don't count on it
● My reply is no
● My sources say no
● Outlook not so good
● Very doubtful
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek the "Magic 8 Ball"...
