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"

 

[Paul Farquhar]

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

The interview stated they where using existing lore going forwards. Drizzt's origin is in the past. If they use Drizzt it will be from where he is now, with any background details in flashbacks.

More likely they will feature a new protagonist, although there may be Marvel style cameos for established characters.

I honestly believe a popular, well-known story will succeed much greater than a "Bob's Home Campaign" show

And if they had one, they might use it. But outside of the D&D echo chamber there are no popular well known stories.

If the show is really "starting small" it would be ridiculous to show a beholder in the first season.

There might not be a second season. Especially if they hold back on the good stuff. They need something fairly spectacular by the end of the first series.

 

[MNblockhead]

If the show is really "starting small" it would be ridiculous to show a beholder in the first season. It would be like showing Daenerys' Season 8 dragons in Season 1.

But a mind flayer as the big bad lurking in the shadows could be an effective antagonist for low-level PCs. Especially given the mind flayer's mental powers, the first season could show unsettling hints as to what is really behind the problems that are occurring. If the show is a hit, we might see the mind flayer in Season 2 when they have a bigger budget, lol.

Why couldn't the beholder be a/the big bad lurking in the background? But of the two, I agree, an Illithid mastermind BBEG probably works better for a general audience. You could certainly have factions with different competing BBEG's but you don't want to introduce everything at once.

 

[Ogre Mage]

Why couldn't the beholder be a/the big bad lurking in the background? But of the two, I agree, an Illithid mastermind BBEG probably works better for a general audience. You could certainly have factions with different competing BBEG's but you don't want to introduce everything at once.

Well, as a real D&D player, the idea of very low-level characters defeating a beholder really stretches disbelief. Even though a general audience ignorant of D&D would not notice. Yeah, creative license for TV and all that. But I would be rolling my eyes and/or laughing. Also, given the special effects budgets of many first season TV shows I would be ... concerned how the beholder would look. Probably morseso than with a mind flayer.

Also, since ordinary people can be turned into mind flayers there is a good horror angle there. It could be like a high fantasy Alien. The intellect devourers are somewhat like the facehuggers too. Wandering through an underdark cavern being stalked by an intellect devourer ...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Well, as a real D&D player, the idea of very low-level characters defeating a beholder really stretches disbelief./

It's starting at low level. We can assume they will no longer be low level by the end of the series.

 

[Morrus]

Well, as a real D&D player, the idea of very low-level characters defeating a beholder really stretches disbelief. Even though a general audience ignorant of D&D would not notice. Yeah, creative license for TV and all that. But I would be rolling my eyes and/or laughing.

Characters on TV don't have levels, just scripts.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

And if they had one, they might use it. But outside of the D&D echo chamber there are no popular well known stories.

Dragonlance’s broad popularity brought people into D&D.

 

[MarkB]

Dragonlance’s broad popularity brought people into D&D.

Well over 30 years ago. It doesn't have that broad popularity anymore, nor do any other D&D-based storylines. Mainstream popularity is what we may get out of some of these TV and movie projects, it's not something that exists going into them.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Dragonlance’s broad popularity brought people into D&D.

...in the 1980s.

 

[Hatmatter]

It would be new and different for most of the audience. And, if done well, they would be compelling, interesting, and "cool" villains. Beside, even as someone who has been playing D&D since the 80s, I still think it would be fun to see the Underdark depicted on TV. Personally, I think that setting the show in the Underdark is a great way to give the D&D show a different feel from other fantasy TV shows and films.

I agree with this MN Block Head.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Well over 30 years ago. It doesn't have that broad popularity anymore, nor do any other D&D-based storylines. Mainstream popularity is what we may get out of some of these TV and movie projects, it's not something that exists going into them.

And stuff like that, that was hugely popular (and still in print and still sells btw) with an older generation, still has a good chance of having a successful adaptation. What appeals to people in the same culture only changes so much, and fans of the series will boost hype for the property.