D&D Movie/TV What would a good D&D movie be like?

[delericho]

Didn't they try to write some unique movie this time...

Yes, they did.

But here's the thing: everything about those films sucked - bad acting, bad dialogue, bad direction, bad effects... The level of suck is so bad that you cannot point at them being "unique movies" as being any sort of a factor in their failure.

 

[transtemporal]

This sounds like a movie that doesn't take itself seriously......

A good movie should honor its source material and genre but there is such a thing as taking yourself too seriously.

Chris Nolan's Batman movies were a good example. Man of Steel - too much.

 

[Celtavian]

There were a lot of things wrong with the existing D&D movies. Not featuring 'name' characters is so far down the list as to be irrelevant.

As long as they don't let Courtney Solomon anywhere near this new film, I'm sure they'll be fine. I mean, letting him serve as, say, Producer - now that would be insane...

And I'll ask the same question. Explain why you think some great producer is going to hop on to do a D&D movie using no established popular work? What is the motivation? To be laughed at by critics? Or just take the money and hope you can some up with something interesting?

Why do that when you have a trilogy waiting to go if the first movie is successful? The height of a poor business decision is what that would be.

Not only would a movie based on Drizz't make you a ton in film sales, but it would boost your book sales. Why not do a movie that increases multiple revenue streams? Explain why that would be a good business decision?

 

[Celtavian]

Yes, they did.

But here's the thing: everything about those films sucked - bad acting, bad dialogue, bad direction, bad effects... The level of suck is so bad that you cannot point at them being "unique movies" as being any sort of a factor in their failure.

Why would that change? Because D&D is such inspiration for great dialogue and story?

You already have stories that a fan base enjoyed outside of D&D in Drizz't and Dragonlance. Go with proven winners is much smarter than attempting to make something up hoping people will like it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And a film with good acting, casting, and writing could flop if no one has any idea what it is..

Certainly. That is why movie studios have advertising budgets. That has almost nothing to do with character identities- Star Trek: Wrath of Khan did quite well casting William Shatner as the great white whale, Ricardo Montalban as Ahab...

Let's make a gentleman's bet. I'm betting you that if D&D decides to make something up, it will fail regardless of the other parts. If they use an established property like Drizz't, they will succeed even if the other parts are weak. As in you have far more room to have a weak opening using a book with an established fan base outside of D&D than you do some made up work based on the game.

I wouldn't take that bet at all: for all that I wish they would make a good movie- by either method- i have zero confidence that they can. Further, my instincts lead me to believe that enough of the fanbase is similarly pessimistic that even if they DO make a good film, it will not succeed at the box office. (Or in the Nielsen's, if it is released as a TV movie.)

 

[transtemporal]

Again, casting black or other dark-skinned actors as Drow diffuses a lot of the issue.

Think about this for a second. You're saying its "natural" to have black people playing drow (which is a completely made-up alien fantasy culture)... because they're black skinned IRL?

That is messed up on multiple levels of reality.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And I'll ask the same question. Explain why you think some great producer is going to hop on to do a D&D movie using no established popular work? What is the motivation? To be laughed at by critics? Or just take the money and hope you can some up with something interesting?

Because you're a fan of the game?

Because you want to prove your chops are so good you can take a sow's ear and make a silk purse and spin straw into gold?

There are all kinds of reasons why people challenge themselves....

Why do that when you have a trilogy waiting to go if the first movie is successful? The height of a poor business decision is what that would be.

If the first book- or the overarching plot- isn't up to snuff, it would befouling to use it.

Not only would a movie based on Drizz't make you a ton in film sales, but it would boost your book sales.

That is a HUUUUUUGE assumption that is completely without foundation. See the Fantastic Four Films.

Why not do a movie that increases multiple revenue streams? Explain why that would be a good business decision?

Doing a movie based on what merch you can move usually works out poorly. Few studios manage to master that art. Disney is one.

Works MUCH better for TV series.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Think about this for a second. You're saying its "natural" to have black people playing drow (which is a completely made-up alien fantasy culture)... because they're black skinned IRL?

That is messed up on multiple levels of reality.

I'm saying look at the evidence. The race-themed backlash against properties predominantly casting non-whites in roles in which they will be using makeup to simulate alien skin tones borders on nil, even when those skin tones somewhat resemble those of earthly races. It neatly sidesteps the issue of raising the specter of "blackface" being echoed in brown/black/blue/purple skinned aliens.

Instead, minority geeks such as myself were happy to see Klingons get played by guys like Michael Dorn and James Worthy instead of Patrick Warburton and Larry Byrd.

 

[delericho]

And I'll ask the same question. Explain why you think some great producer is going to hop on to do a D&D movie using no established popular work?

They managed to spin "Pirates of the Caribbean" into a wildly successful film series from far less than D&D gives them.

You already have stories that a fan base enjoyed outside of D&D in Drizz't and Dragonlance.

Someone made a Dragonlance film. It sucked just as hard as any of Courtney Solomon's D&D films, and was even less of a success. So going with a 'proven' work isn't a guaranteed route to success, either. And, indeed, giving Courtney Solomon Drizzt to work with wouldn't end well, either. The success, or otherwise, of a D&D film is going to be much less about whether they go with an established work or not, and much more about who they get doing the work.

And, like Dannyalcatraz, I have zero confidence that they'll make a good film, or that they'll make a successful one. I hope they will, but I hold out less hope for it than for "Transformers 5".

 

[delericho]

And I'll ask the same question. Explain why you think some great producer is going to hop on to do a D&D movie using no established popular work? What is the motivation? To be laughed at by critics? Or just take the money and hope you can some up with something interesting?

Something I forgot to address, on the topic of motivation.

My best suggestion for making a D&D movie would be to hire Vin Diesel and the Rock (and, ideally, the whole team behind the last three "Fast & Furious" movies) to do the job. My main logic there is that they have a track record of making films that are at least entertaining (though I wouldn't necessarily say good), and that are hugely successful.

But, crucially, that also goes some way to dealing with motivation. Vin Diesel is famously a D&D fan (of course), and he's also known to have made films as a labour of love - notably the third "Riddick" film. So it's possible he would be willing to take on the task, and it's likely also that he could get together a team that would do the job, and do it competently.

(That strategy would also suggest not using Drizzt, for two reasons. Firstly because I'd rather give a hired team of experts free rein to do their stuff, without being bound to stick to the fixed story; and secondly because the tone of the F&F movies is not at all like the tone of the Drizzt stories. Not necessarily better or worse; just different.)

Having said all that, of course, it's entirely possible D&D fans would respond to a D&D/F&F mash-up with a fairly emphatic "do not want".