D&D General Imagine an Iconic DnD TV Show!

[doctorbadwolf]

Thanks to @LuisCarlos17f for the basic idea, here.

My opinion is the best way to promote old lines are the "iconic heroes".

Dungeons & Dragons iconic characters - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

My doubts is who is going to produce the future D&D movies or streaming series. Now Hasbro has got a deal with Paramount, but this will end in some years. Then the next partner could be Netflix, Disney or Paramount again.

Now, let's imagine, just for fun, a dnd tv show that actually used these characters, or another set of iconic characters, or a combination of the best of both. For instance, here are the iconic characters of the Neverwinter MMO:


So, which iconics would you use, which would you change, what sort of lineage/class combinations would a more 5e based cast need? Live action or animated?

And most importantly, who would you cast?

 

[jgsugden]

If I were to make a D&D TV series, I'd make two. The first would follow new characters in the Forgotten Realms telling a new story that weaves into a new adventure path. It would be live action. We'd see iconic FR characters when it made sense to see them, but the story would be about a low level party that gets involved in escalating storylines, and over 100 episodes shows the 20 level experience. It would end with a Recap episode that includes a coda showing their futures and foreshadowing the next campaign with new heroes.

The second series, likely animated, would tell short stories primarily about iconic D&D names. Drizzt. Elminster. Mordenkainen. Vecna. Meepo. Strahd. The Rod of Seven Parts. Asmodeus. The Tarrasque. All of these would stand alone, but they'd also provide context for the live TV series. They'd be anywhere from a single 20 minute episode to a movie spread over 6 episodes. I'd probably include some 'Voyager' type character - a historian or archaeologist - that either travels to or watches these events.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If I were to make a D&D TV series, I'd make two. The first would follow new characters in the Forgotten Realms telling a new story that weaves into a new adventure path. It would be live action. We'd see iconic FR characters when it made sense to see them, but the story would be about a low level party that gets involved in escalating storylines, and over 100 episodes shows the 20 level experience. It would end with a Recap episode that includes a coda showing their futures and foreshadowing the next campaign with new heroes.

The second series, likely animated, would tell short stories primarily about iconic D&D names. Drizzt. Elminster. Mordenkainen. Vecna. Meepo. Strahd. The Rod of Seven Parts. Asmodeus. The Tarrasque. All of these would stand alone, but they'd also provide context for the live TV series. They'd be anywhere from a single 20 minute episode to a movie spread over 6 episodes. I'd probably include some 'Voyager' type character - a historian or archaeologist - that either travels to or watches these events.

That could be interesting.

I definitely wouldn't make a series about big name FR characters, but the less well known "iconic characters" from games and game books would be perfectly good characters to use.

Lidda the halfling rogue is a great character, and who doesn't love Redgar?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Not gonna limit it to D&D IP, cuz you said to have fun

My ideal party:
Thundarr The barbarian: Chris Hemsworth
Mouse: Mathew Broderick in an older role, handing off the new "mouse" to Tom Holland
Aleena the Cleric: Emmy Rossom
Weka Dart: Peter Dinklage
Khelban: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Toph Beifong: Ming Na Wen

And put Sean Bean in there somewhere

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Another related Neverwinter cinematic.

I'd love to see a Neverwinter tv show/cartoon, but I'd also love a show that basically takes the feel of a show like Leverage and puts it in DnD. Someone gathers a team, they learn to work together over time, eventually become a family, meanwhile helping people while not always necessarily being classic good guys.

For new characters, I'd look at maybe a Dragonborn Wizard or Eldritch Knight or something like that, I'd want to see a Goliath, maybe a Goliath Ranger. A Gnome Paladin would be more fun to me than other Paladin concepts or existing Gnome iconics. A swashbuckling Aramis-esque femme gnome (green knight/ancients) paladin would be excellent, and a great way to have a paladin that isn't the obnoxious cliche of a paladin.

I'd definitely include a monstrous lineage other than drow in the main team. Perhaps a Bugbear thief or monk, or a kobold or goblin of some kind.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Not gonna limit it to D&D IP, cuz you said to have fun

My ideal party:
Thundarr The barbarian: Chris Hemsworth
Mouse: Mathew Broderick in an older role, handing off the new "mouse" to Tom Holland
Aleena the Cleric: Emmy Rossom
Weka Dart: Peter Dinklage
Khelban: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Toph Beifong: Ming Na Wen

And put Sean Bean in there somewhere

I mean, even keeping it dnd, you can use those characters as inspiration. I love it!

 

[Imaculata]

And put Sean Bean in there somewhere

But only for season 1.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I would dare to say I am not the first one with an idea like that, but Hasbro CEOs have got new projects after the first action-live D&D movie.

But who is going to produce that serie? Hasbro has got a five-years deal with Paramount. Will this end in 2023? Maybe the partnership will continue with the rest of Hasbroverse franchises, but D&D is special. Other option is to divide out the lines. For example Forgotten Realms with Paramount, other (Dragonlance?) with Disney, Greyhawk for Netflix, Birthright for Warner/HBO and Mystara with Capcom (because they have got experencie with the D&D arcades). But what would happen when the deals end? For example the 80's cartoon show can't rerunned because Disney has got the rights.

My bet? A kid-friendly cartoon set in the Feywild. (Witchlight as name of the setting?).

* If something happens with Sean Bean's character... could he come back later? Not even resurrection would be necessary.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

But the real question is how many episodes would Regdar die in? All of them? Some of them? Or just pretty regularly?

I'd probably include some 'Voyager' type character - a historian or archaeologist - that either travels to or watches these events.

Fine, as long as it's not Volo or Elminster.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

My bet? A kid-friendly cartoon set in the Feywild. (Witchlight as name of the setting?).

That is actually not a bad idea at all.

The Feywild as a whole seems to be incredibly popular with "new to D&D" players of all ages. In 4E, virtually every new-to-D&D player I met gravitated towards Feywild races and loved the concept, and I have no doubt kids would like a well-done Feywild-oriented cartoon, especially as later you could see them leave the Feywild and visit the normal world or the Shadowfell and so on.

That's actually maybe one of the best TV uses of the D&D IP that I can think of.