Rumor? D&D movie issues resolved and a TV series in the works?

[darjr]

Just heard this rumor. I usually think, without much more confirmation, it is just rumors and nothing more. However this one is VERY interesting and it has been quite on the Movie news.

So, anybody else hear said rumors?

 

[fjw70]

Just heard this rumor. I usually think, without much more confirmation, it is just rumors and nothing more. However this one is VERY interesting and it has been quite on the Movie news.

So, anybody else hear said rumors?

Where did you hear the rumor?

The TV show should be the kids from the original series 30 years older.

 

[delericho]

A new TV series could be good. Or, of course, it could suck - it's all in the implementation.

As for the movie rights, it will depend on how the issues were resolved - do Hasbro have them back, or did Courtney Solomon retain control? (Although, given "Battleship", I'm not sure it's actually all that important. Either way, I'm not going to raise my hopes for a good D&D movie until I see it... and even then I might not believe it.)

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I haven't heard these rumours, and to be honest, I usually hear rumours like that pretty quickly, because I follow a lot of good sources of rumour-y information, particularly for nerd media stuff.

Still, it'd be good if true. There's a ton of fantasy on TV these days (albeit most of the "warped fairy tale" variety), and if a D&D show had the right writers and cast, and a plot and tone that was accessible, it could have legs, but god, it would be so easy for it to go wrong, and there are so many showrunners out there who would love the idea but make a horrible mess of it.

 

[Ramaster]

A GoT style show with the D&D license? That would be sooo cool... But the budget for it would probably be impossibly high with all the magic missiles, bugbears, wraiths, dragons and bags of holding.

 

[Mistwell]

A GoT style show with the D&D license? That would be sooo cool... But the budget for it would probably be impossibly high with all the magic missiles, bugbears, wraiths, dragons and bags of holding.

With the routine of digital effects, those are no longer the expensive things (they're still not what I'd say is cheap, but they're not the things that hold up concepts anymore). Now it's size of cast, costuming, and locations.

 

[exile]

I think I'd be interested in a show that follows both D&D players and their characters. Maybe the first few and last few minutes of the show deal with real life and the remainder of the show focuses on the adventures of the characters.

 

[SolitonMan]

I have no idea how the IP rules would work, but if someone were to limit themselves to using OGL material, would they need a license to produce media content that would be clearly based on D&D, without using the brand?

 

[Morrus]

I have no idea how the IP rules would work, but if someone were to limit themselves to using OGL material, would they need a license to produce media content that would be clearly based on D&D, without using the brand?

I don't think it would be clearly based in D&D, unless you're showing their stats on screen. The OGL contains rules, mainly. It'd just be generic fantasy (not that that's a terrible thing). An orc is an orc is an orc. A rule for hot weather isn't of much use in a TV show. The beholders and other clearly-D&D critters aren't OGL; none of the settings or NPCs or locations or names are.

The whole "clearly based on D&D" is the bit you'd run into trouble. To do that, you'd probably have to use something non-OGL. Unless you want to put game rules and stats on the screen, which are clearly d20 system stats.

And at that point, what is the point? The only advantage of using D&D to make a fantasy show it to use the brand to identify it. Without the brand, you may as well just come up with your own stuff.

 

[SolitonMan]

And at that point, what is the point? The only advantage of using D&D to make a fantasy show it to use the brand to identify it. Without the brand, you may as well just come up with your own stuff.

Hmm, yeah. Good point.

I suppose for me it's about the feel of it. While it wasn't great, I thought the second D&D movie (Wrath of the Dragon God) was better than the first, and by far did a better job of conveying a D&D feel. That's not to say that a series should necessarily emulate the gaminess of the genre. But I wouldn't mind if it did. Though I'm sure I'm part of a pretty small demographic in that sense.