D&D Movie/TV Update on D&D TV Show -- Underdark, Small, 6-10 Episodes

Writer Derek Kolstad (John Wick) has shared an insight into the upcoming D&D TV show with Collider, which he says will be 6-10 serialized episodes with an Underdark element.

His approach is a "tinier sliver" of the world, compared to epic stories like Lord of the Rings. He compares it to Star Wars and Jaws. He mentioned that he's like to go "deeper and deeper into the Underdark".

"In the first Star Wars, you heard about Jabba the Hutt and you don't see him until the third one because you earn at that point, and whatever the budget was for the third one compared to the first one, who cares, right? And I think in Dungeons and Dragons, who has this massive, dedicated community of acolytes, I don't want to suddenly throw everything on screen and say, 'Here's the buffet.' You'd much rather keep the story intimate. When you think of our favorite movies, I'd rather do the First Blood version. It's a guy in the woods being hunted. And it's very small, but you allude to the other things through conversation."

As yet the show is untitled. Kolstad talked a bit about legal meetings and available characters for use. It sounds like he wants to set it towards the end of any 'metaplot' that D&D might have -- "... don't want to go in the middle of the mythos. I want to come near the end where everything is canonical, it's biblical, it's happened. Or, it's about to happen. That way you can revisit certain sequences and storylines that everyone loved in the past through flashback, but where we go is new"

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

the main villain is going to be a gelatinous cube.

My kids adored the Gelatinous Cube in Onward. It would be wise for them to include one, especially given how easy they are to do with even terrible CGI. (Heck, you could probably do them with iffy 1970s Doctor Who special effects -- fear the wall of cellophane held by stagehands!)

 

[bedir than]

My kids adored the Gelatinous Cube in Onward.

Onward was one of the best D&D movies/shows ever. Every D&D fan should watch it at least twice.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I also demand mimics in the D&D TV shows and movies. They're iconic monsters in danger of just becoming a generic RPG beasties.

I think the gooey attacks of an actual D&D mimic aren't very cinematic, though, which is why you see them pictured chomping down on adventurers, rather than clubbing them with gooey fists like in the 1E Monster Manual. If the movie/TV folks could get WotC to tweak the mimics to be a bit more cinematic, that'd be a great benefit. (Seriously -- a chest biting off an adventurer's hand is awesome. An adventurer getting stuck to an animated glue trap is a lot less so.)

 

[hopeless]

Maybe it will be about that city being dragged down into the depths and the survivors are trying to find their way back to the surface?

 

[overgeeked]

Ugh. It’s going to be a Drizzle origin story or lead into a a Drizzle focused show.

 

[Fallen star]

Ugh. It’s going to be a Drizzle origin story or lead into a a Drizzle focused show.

I honestly believe a popular, well-known story will succeed much greater than a "Bob's Home Campaign" show . Or movie for that matter. They really should be doing a Crystal shard, Dragonlance, Keep on the boarderlands, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, or Ravenloft story. Otherwise, whats to distinguish it from other generic B-tier fantasy? What's going to lead curious viewers to try RPGs?

Go watch "In the Name of the King: a Dungeon Siege story" It has nothing to do with the game except a few of the names.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

It will be about a drow of matchless speed who’s really cross at having to worship Lolth and be the bad guy, so he leaves the Underdark and comes out on a different plane - our world - a place of neon lights and honour, swords and sushi.
That’s right.
its...
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drizzt

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I honestly believe a popular, well-known story will succeed much greater than a "Bob's Home Campaign" show . Or movie for that matter. They really should be doing a Crystal shard, Dragonlance, Keep on the boarderlands, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, or Ravenloft story. Otherwise, whats to distinguish it from other generic B-tier fantasy? What's going to lead curious viewers to try RPGs?

I mean no offense against anyone who has written a game tie-in novel, especially as I have a number of friends who have, but I think we should aim higher than that. Most of those are not amazingly well-written and most Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels are old and aren't much of a mainstream draw.

And the value of a mainstream draw at all is dubious. Even comic fans -- like me -- didn't know much about the modern Guardians of the Galaxy before the movie came out. (I was more familiar with the embarrassingly goofy team led by Vance Astro.) A good story in a D&D universe (meaning IP critters to differentiate it from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and the Witcher) and they'll be fine.

 

[Hatmatter]

Writer Derek Kolstad (John Wick) has shared an insight into the upcoming D&D TV show with Collider, which he says will be 6-10 serialized episodes with an Underdark element.

View attachment 134620

His approach is a "tinier sliver" of the world, compared to epic stories like Lord of the Rings. He compares it to Star Wars and Jaws. He mentioned that he's like to go "deeper and deeper into the Underdark".

"In the first Star Wars, you heard about Jabba the Hutt and you don't see him until the third one because you earn at that point, and whatever the budget was for the third one compared to the first one, who cares, right? And I think in Dungeons and Dragons, who has this massive, dedicated community of acolytes, I don't want to suddenly throw everything on screen and say, 'Here's the buffet.' You'd much rather keep the story intimate. When you think of our favorite movies, I'd rather do the First Blood version. It's a guy in the woods being hunted. And it's very small, but you allude to the other things through conversation."

As yet the show is untitled. Kolstad talked a bit about legal meetings and available characters for use. It sounds like he wants to set it towards the end of any 'metaplot' that D&D might have -- "... don't want to go in the middle of the mythos. I want to come near the end where everything is canonical, it's biblical, it's happened. Or, it's about to happen. That way you can revisit certain sequences and storylines that everyone loved in the past through flashback, but where we go is new"

That was a great interview with Kolstad.