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"

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Aboleth, koa-toa and a bunch of other stuff is doable, too.

There's a lot of stuff in the Underdark. Even if they just used it as a really big dungeon and made it a scary place to be, like Descent with magic, it would be sufficiently weird and different than existing fantasy series.

But they will probably make it similar to Moria from LotR.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I honestly don't think adapting Dragonlance to film (TV would work best, just because of screen time) would be difficult. Blatantly forgo the exact details of the original work and cast a diverse group of actors for the characters and their respective cultures. The important part, IMO, is the unlikely group of people wind up forming social bonds to rise above their humble beginnings to stop a war that features awesome foes like evil dragon-people, dragon riders, and powerful skeletal knights.

I read the books as a youth, and I remember them being just "okay" with various problems, but the core seems solid to me (what's described above, to me, is the core.) I honestly don't remember much else about them.

The best, most marketable part of Dragonlance, IMO, is primarily the name, then the core characters personalities (though not their looks), and the basic thrust of the original adventure, and the villains. The problematic details are not important to keep (and are probably important NOT to keep).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But they will probably make it similar to Moria from LotR.

OK, Eeyore.

 

[teitan]

This is a good opportunity for WotC to reassert themselves, then. And letting mimics not be part of their core IP was a mistake.

In any case, it's a good signpost that "this is an RPG monster," rather than something based on myth or non-D&D fantasy novels.

ehhh they've been a fantasy trope since before D&D was a thing though.

 

[teitan]

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.

They ARE still in Print with new novels coming in a few short months. Plus Weis & Hickman are still producing NYT best selling novels. The line ended because WOTC wanted to get out of publishing fiction. If it had their name on it, it sold, the problem was too many weaker authors on both lines, FR and DL. There is also the added damage of the book industry having been a death spiral at the time that WOTC started wrapping up novels. Now physical books are starting to sell again with a YOY increase vs digital books. They've had all the novels available as Ebooks the entire time, as well as Audible. Driz'zt novels continue to sell well.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think Dragonlance is easier to do than Driz'zt. It's much more appropriate to cast an indigenous actor as Goldmoon and treat her people with respect than it is to have an actor in CG-blackface (even if they cast a BIPOC actor, I can't imagine how it would work). Unless they change the entire look of Drow, which I guess they sort of already have with the light-gray skintones in recent books. I guess they could do that, but would it look like anyone imagines Driz'zt? Does it matter? I'd say his ridiculous name works against him too, but then Game of Thrones happened, and that showed me that names work better when spoken, and I don't have to read them!

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

OK, Eeyore.

Since this is probably an insult, it takes one to know one.

Edit: hilarious that Whizzy would put me on Ignore when he is the one slinging insults.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

ehhh they've been a fantasy trope since before D&D was a thing though.

I would like a citation on a pre-D&D mimic-style monster.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I find it a bit amusing how this thread has turned into a Driz'zt vs. Dragonlance debate, when the actual script writer quoted in the original post makes it pretty clear that it will be neither.

 

[Zardnaar]

I find it a bit amusing how this thread has turned into a Driz'zt vs. Dragonlance debate, when the actual script writer quoted in the original post makes it pretty clear that it will be neither.

I wouldn't adapt either one.

Do something original or adapt better novel.