Role-playing games as inspiration for modern media is nothing new -- White Wolf was far ahead of the curve with its World of Darkness setting featuring a nightmarish blend of vampires and werewolves, and now Dungeons & Dragons is having a moment with a rich variety of fantasy-themed media. So perhaps it's not surprising that a combination of the two has arrived from Netflix titled Bright, and it looks an awful lot like another popular role-playing game.
[h=3]From the Shadows...[/h]Judging from the trailer, Bright is a typical buddy-cop action flick, with one twist:
If this sounds familiar to tabletop role-players, it's because Shadowrun did it first. Assuming the film is set in modern times, the setting even slots into Shadowrun's timeline. In 2011, human babies were born with a condition described as Unexplained Genetic Expression, in which mothers gave birth to children that looked like elves and dwarves. Goblinization (human spontaneously changing into orks and trolls) comes later in 2021.
Given the ascendance of all things fantasy, it was probably only a matter of time before fantasy elements were included in modern genres. Of course, Shadowrun had combined cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and horror much earlier when the game first debuted in 1989.
[h=3]A Bright Idea[/h]Netflix paid big bucks for Bright:
This is literally a big deal, because Netflix isn't just betting on a movie, it's betting on a franchise:
If the movie does well, there could be a Shadowrun-style streaming series. The most obvious parallel is Alien Nation, which featured a similar premise (aliens living among humans; two mismatched cops of each species working together) and also went on to launch a successful television series.
[h=3]What This Means for Shadowrun[/h]Although the Shadowrun license has changed hands several times from FASA to WizKids to Topps, it has spread well beyond its tabletop incarnation including a card game, eight video games, an action figure game, magazines, an art book, and over 50 novels. The game is currently on its 5th Edition released back in 2013.
With the arrival of a similar franchise on Netflix, the time might be right for a new edition -- or it might open up other multimedia opportunities for the nearly 30-year-old setting. The success of Bright will be a litmus test -- for both Netflix and gamers -- to determine the viability of a Shadowrun-esque setting in future media.
Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to http://amazon.com. You can follow him at Patreon.
[h=3]From the Shadows...[/h]Judging from the trailer, Bright is a typical buddy-cop action flick, with one twist:
Humans, Orcs, Elves... everybody is just trying to get along. Get ready for the world of Bright, a new Netflix Original Film, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton.
If this sounds familiar to tabletop role-players, it's because Shadowrun did it first. Assuming the film is set in modern times, the setting even slots into Shadowrun's timeline. In 2011, human babies were born with a condition described as Unexplained Genetic Expression, in which mothers gave birth to children that looked like elves and dwarves. Goblinization (human spontaneously changing into orks and trolls) comes later in 2021.
Given the ascendance of all things fantasy, it was probably only a matter of time before fantasy elements were included in modern genres. Of course, Shadowrun had combined cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and horror much earlier when the game first debuted in 1989.
[h=3]A Bright Idea[/h]Netflix paid big bucks for Bright:
A two-week bidding battle has finally ended and Netflix has won Bright, a Max Landis scripted cop thriller with fantastical elements and tent pole potential that David Ayer will direct, with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton starring. This is a game changer: Netflix’s Ted Sarandos got a big ticket feature, and he paid a premium for it. I’m told that Netflix will invest north of $90M in the entire package. That includes north of $3M for the Landis script, making it one of the largest spec deals for a writer in years. The film will cost around $45M to shoot, meaning that just about that much will be invested in talent fees, and also to buy out their back ends; while there could be a limited theatrical launch day and date, Netflix is doing this to serve subscribers to its streaming service in countries around the world and so there will be no backend residuals. This deal dwarfs by one-third the premium that Netflix paid to get the David Michod-directed War Machine, starring and produced by Brad Pitt.
This is literally a big deal, because Netflix isn't just betting on a movie, it's betting on a franchise:
This is a different kind of coup for Netflix. The package brought heat the moment Deadline revealed it was coming to market on March 2, because Ayer and Smith just completed the Warner Bros/DC film Suicide Squad, which is expected to be a major summer hit. Though it will be R-rated, Bright is much closer to Men in Black‘s commercial qualities and VFX than anything Netflix has done before, and it is meant to launch a franchise.
If the movie does well, there could be a Shadowrun-style streaming series. The most obvious parallel is Alien Nation, which featured a similar premise (aliens living among humans; two mismatched cops of each species working together) and also went on to launch a successful television series.
[h=3]What This Means for Shadowrun[/h]Although the Shadowrun license has changed hands several times from FASA to WizKids to Topps, it has spread well beyond its tabletop incarnation including a card game, eight video games, an action figure game, magazines, an art book, and over 50 novels. The game is currently on its 5th Edition released back in 2013.
With the arrival of a similar franchise on Netflix, the time might be right for a new edition -- or it might open up other multimedia opportunities for the nearly 30-year-old setting. The success of Bright will be a litmus test -- for both Netflix and gamers -- to determine the viability of a Shadowrun-esque setting in future media.
Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to http://amazon.com. You can follow him at Patreon.
