D&D Movie/TV Chris Pine To Star In D&D Movie

The long, slow process towards a modern take on D&D movies took a large step forward with the announcement of a huge star signed to the project. Considering that filming is set to start soon a cascade of announcements should be revealed in initiative order imminently. Filming begins in Q1 2021.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley will be directing the film which features "an ensemble cast and take a subversive approach to the game."

Chris Pine In Talks To Star In ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ For eOne And Paramount; Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley Direct

Chris Pine To Star In 'Dungeons & Dragons'

deadline.com

Chris Pine has closed a deal to star in Dungeons & Dragons, the live action film based on Hasbro’s massively popular role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro/eOne and Paramount are jointly producing and financing, with eOne distributing in the UK and Canada, and Paramount the rest of the world.

 

[Umbran]

Except he does try to fob it off - multiple times - to people he perceives as mightier/wiser/more significant than himself.

He has some fear when faced with threat, yeah. You know, like a normal person. He's the normal person in the group, remember. He gets over it.

He ultimately takes up the task because those efforts are refused and the Council of Elrond otherwise deadlocks.

Not just "refused". The scene is rather deeper than that. It is a very clear display about the corrupting influence of the ring. And, as we might expect, the person who doesn't want power is the person who can be trusted to carry it. Go figure.

Yes, it's heroic, but it's the heroism of someone resigned to getting something done and realizing that if he doesn't do it, nobody else will.

We may each read that as we may.

 

[Grimstaff]

What do they mean by subversive?

It means they never f&$£ing learn.

 

[Mallus]

I’d like to take the opportunity to remind this thread of several nerdy works that can accurately be called ‘subversive’: The Princess Bride, Big Trouble in Little China, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Perhaps you have heard of them?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

could be a GOT type movie. Didn't he recently play a king/soldier in a movie?

Given what's been said about it, I very much doubt it.

And it's certainly not what I would do with the IP, there is enough grimdark in real life.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Lord of the rings has been done though. The film has been made. A D&D movie that tries to be a replication of of Lord of the Rings will bomb. It’s been done. Lord of the Rings invented the cliches, it has originality because it was the first fantasy film of that scale with that cast of that quality. It had never been done before. Im sorry to say a D&D film ain’t gonna be the next LotR no matter how hard they try, if they play it straight down the line.

My point is that a film about 4-6 adventures that meet in spurious circumstances and quest or defeat the BBEG is not sophisticated enough for a modern audience in a fantasy world. Avengers had a ready made cast of characters already known and liked from their existing films - and this style easily backfires (Justice League)

It has to thread a very fine line between being recognizably d&d otherwise what’s the point, and cliched in which case it will be cringeworthy. The best way to do this in my opinion is with humour and some kind of conceit that allows the story to be told in a new way.

I’ll let you into a secret. I love fantasy as a genre but there’s a reason not many fantasy films like LOTR get made. They cost a lot of money, can easily cross the line into being silly, they require the audiences to make huge suspensions of disbelief, have large amounts of jargon that make total and utter sense to a fan and are completely irrelevant and confusing to everyone else.

I’ll let you into another secret. Generally fantasy writing isn’t very good. It tends not to win awards or receive literary approval (unless awarded by the community itself) and the fans are fairy rabid who are easily pleased as long as the books conform to certain expectations. They tend to be pretty similar and again tend to be bought by a pretty specific group of individuals.

Not a great combination.

You can claim you want the next Lord of the Rings but I think you’re asking to be disappointed.

God there is too much wrong here to address it all. The condescending “secret” BS, the weird putting words in our mouths (who the frack ever said they want the next lord of the rings?), just to name two of many problems.

It’s hard to imagine why you’d expect that comment to be taken seriously.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

No I appreciate that. It just isn’t very convincing as a motivation. Most people if told to take a deadly artifact, hunted by enemies beyond your power to a place of unimaginable danger would say, “sure I’ll just get my things”, and then be out the back door before anyone could stop them.

Heroism is more realistic when less epic. Therein lies the stumbling block of a lot of fantasy fiction.

You’re joking. You must be.

This is purely absurd, on every possible level.

 

[RSIxidor]

Chris Pine with a beard looks just like Bigby.

 

[TheSword]

God there is too much wrong here to address it all. The condescending “secret” BS, the weird putting words in our mouths (who the frack ever said they want the next lord of the rings?), just to name two of many problems.

It’s hard to imagine why you’d expect that comment to be taken seriously.

Sorry, perhaps you can point me in the direction of a critically acclaimed fantasy novel (not critical acclamation from a specific sci-go or fantasy award)

Or perhaps a critically acclaimed fantasy film, other than Lord of the Rings?

 

[TheSword]

You’re joking. You must be.

This is purely absurd, on every possible level.

I think that temporary suspension of disbelief gets you only so far. What is acceptable to you and your friends characters around a kitchen table as motivation is not necessarily gonna cut it in a film of any quality.

 

[Jorren]

Everyone here is talking about Chris Pine but has anyone looked John Francis Daley's filmography? That list doesn't exactly inspire confidence and he is more likely to make or break the movie.