D&D Movie/TV Bridgerton Star Regé-Jean Page Joins D&D Movie

Regé-Jean Page has joined the cast of the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie - which currently has Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Justice Smith attached - in a leading role, according to Hollywood Reporter. He played the Duke of Hastings in the period drama which is Netflix's biggest ever show.

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...

www.enworld.org

D&D Movie/TV - Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith Join D&D Movie

From Comic Book Movies -- "Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar) and Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu) have joined Wonder Woman 1984's Chris Pine in Paramount and eOne's upcoming big-budget board game adaptation, Dungeons & Dragons..."...

www.enworld.org

 

[Demetrios1453]

(Deleted - misread what I was responding to).

 

[TwoSix]

removed, didn't see Mod injunction.

 

[ART!]

I look forward to the competing builds on various fora of the D&D movie characters!

 

[BookTenTiger]

Does there need to be a distinction of character classes in the game? Does it need a call-out to class and race and sub-class and feats and ability scores and such to be a good D&D movie?

I mean, if a character throws a fireball and fights with a sword and heals someone with a spell and rages and casts a ritual and turns undead and backstabs someone and changes shape into an animal, will people freak out that it's too many class abilities stuffed into one character for a D&D movie?

I think each character should have a freeze-frame with their stats.

Kind of kidding?

 

[Demetrios1453]

Does there need to be a distinction of character classes in the game? Does it need a call-out to class and race and sub-class and feats and ability scores and such to be a good D&D movie?

I mean, if a character throws a fireball and fights with a sword and heals someone with a spell and rages and casts a ritual and turns undead and backstabs someone and changes shape into an animal, will people freak out that it's too many class abilities stuffed into one character for a D&D movie?

Yes. (Just joking, but only sort of).

But you probably don't want that sort of character in a movie anyway; it would make them a Mary Sue and cause the others to be redundant or useless. If (as seems likely), we're going to have several leads, it would probably be best to give them clearly defined roles on the group. And D&D classes will definitely help with defining those roles. That doesn't mean they nees to follow the rules 100%, but using defined classes as a base wouldn't hurt.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Does there need to be a distinction of character classes in the game? Does it need a call-out to class and race and sub-class and feats and ability scores and such to be a good D&D movie?

I mean, if a character throws a fireball and fights with a sword and heals someone with a spell and rages and casts a ritual and turns undead and backstabs someone and changes shape into an animal, will people freak out that it's too many class abilities stuffed into one character for a D&D movie?

I don't think they'd stick that many things on one character from a writing standpoint -- we're not telling a story about Superman here. And having a few things that cross class lines will actually mean endless discussions where people create builds of the movie characters.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If (as seems likely), we're going to have several leads, it would probably be best to give them clearly defined roles on the group. And D&D classes will definitely help with defining those roles. That doesn't mean they nees to follow the rules 100%, but using defined classes as a base wouldn't hurt.

The Ocean's 11 movies are a good example of this: Everyone is a specialist and (mostly) gets a chance to shine. It'll be the path of least resistance to do something similar for this movie.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If you really believe that the ethnic make up of the British Nobility and upper class in Regency England was the result of atrocious racism, then you have just admitted to a startling degree of historical ignorance.

Considering the number of people of color in Britain at that time and earlier (vastly more than you probably think), the number of common folk raised into the gentry in that time and earlier, it’s not historically ignorant at all.

If one caste is one ethnicity, and another ethnicity cannot enter that caste even though members of the first ethnicity can move from one to the other, that is racism. The end.

 

[Gradine]

For instance, there was actually a concerted effort in the early 20th century to remove Black people and women from the American literary canon, which is why the grandchildren of people who read and adored Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Charles W. Chesnutt had no idea these major 19th century figures existed.

If you like Turn of the Screw, check out Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. If you like Twain, check out Chesnutt. They can stand shoulder to shoulder with the folks you know, but some old dead White dudes decided you didn't need to know their names.

The Yellow Wallpaper is indeed very good, though it would be remiss to recommend it without pointing out that Gilman was pants-on-head racist, like at a "Lovecraft-might-ask-her-to-dial-it-back-a-bit" level

e: This is not to say that The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates any of that racism, which I realize I might have implied while alluding to Lovecraft.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The Yellow Wallpaper is indeed very good, though it would be remiss to recommend it without pointing out that Gilman was pants-on-head racist, like at a "Lovecraft-might-ask-her-to-dial-it-back-a-bit" level

e: This is not to say that The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates any of that racism, which I realize I might have implied while alluding to Lovecraft.

Great, now any time someone talks about American racism I’m gonna mentally photoshop pants onto the head of that one screaming guy in the polo shirt with the tiki torch...

 

[Morrus]

Considering the number of people of color in Britain at that time and earlier (vastly more than you probably think), the number of common folk raised into the gentry in that time and earlier, it’s not historically ignorant at all.

If one caste is one ethnicity, and another ethnicity cannot enter that caste even though members of the first ethnicity can move from one to the other, that is racism. The end.

The Yellow Wallpaper is indeed very good, though it would be remiss to recommend it without pointing out that Gilman was pants-on-head racist, like at a "Lovecraft-might-ask-her-to-dial-it-back-a-bit" level

e: This is not to say that The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates any of that racism, which I realize I might have implied while alluding to Lovecraft.

I’ll repeat my above warning to drop this subject. This thread is about the D&D movie, not a general treatise on racism.

 

[bedir than]

Does there need to be a distinction of character classes in the game? Does it need a call-out to class and race and sub-class and feats and ability scores and such to be a good D&D movie?

While it is unnecessary for the movie to be good, I'm certain that the RPG side of the project will want to be able to stat up the adventuring party. Having Wizards consult on the project I would expect we see characters that are typical of the core classes.
Having actual Hollywood writers means we are unlikely to see those descriptions called out specifically unless through some kind of meta or humorous shout.

I also expect that the party concept will lean into Crawford's phrase "a diverse group is a strong group." We should expect that to be represented in the who of the characters, the what of the characters, etc

 

[robus]

Also I think I'm in the minority for this one, but I would love it if the movie had a framing device in which all these celebrities, playing themselves, were gathering together for a casual D&D game at one of their houses. Start the movie with them catching up, ordering pizza (I'll give you my Wand of Magic Missile if we can have anchovies on the pizza!), sharing baby pictures... And then the movie ends with them looking forward to next week's game!

100% - I've posited the best way to run a series of D&D movies is to have each movie have the same primary cast but playing a different role and campaign in each movie. Would be a great way to keep things fresh (and a good reference to the reality of actual D&D play).

Actually I don't think it should start off in the real world. I think this "it was all a game" would be a great post-credits scene and an excellent way to foreshadow the next movie.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Actually I don't think it should start off in the real world. I think this "it was all a game" would be a great post-credits scene and an excellent way to foreshadow the next movie.

No, it needs to be a real movie about real characters, not some split thing like that. And every single reference in the movie to some in-game mechanic will just make it worse and worse.

Also, I agree with the people who said this movie needs a real title ASAP, so that everyone will stop calling it the D&D movie and people can stop acting like it will be a movie similar to Critical Role or other streaming groups.

 

[BookTenTiger]

No, it needs to be a real movie about real characters, not some split thing like that. And every single reference in the movie to some in-game mechanic will just make it worse and worse.

Also, I agree with the people who said this movie needs a real title ASAP, so that everyone will stop calling it the D&D movie and people can stop acting like it will be a movie similar to Critical Role or other streaming groups.

The movie doesn't "need" to be one way or the other. If I were creating it, the movie would be one thing, if you were creating it then it would be another.

To me, the perfect D&D movie would be like The Princess Bride. That movie is both an adventure story and a movie about why we love adventure stories. My perfect D&D movie would be a fantasy story and a movie about why we love fantasy, framed by a bunch of players playing D&D.

 

[ART!]

I guess I just want a rip-roaring tale and a good time.

I imagine a group drawn together by fate who really, really don't get along at first, but who learn to be a very effective team by the end. It'd be really cute if one or more of them get involved because of a notice posted on a wall calling for adventurers, or a mysterious stranger at an inn.

 

[Oofta]

Does there need to be a distinction of character classes in the game? Does it need a call-out to class and race and sub-class and feats and ability scores and such to be a good D&D movie?

I mean, if a character throws a fireball and fights with a sword and heals someone with a spell and rages and casts a ritual and turns undead and backstabs someone and changes shape into an animal, will people freak out that it's too many class abilities stuffed into one character for a D&D movie?

I think I alluded this on the other D&D movie, but I do think the screenwriters and producers should know what class the protagonists are. Implement the look and feel of the classes without ever discussing the implementation.

So have a cleric or paladin that heals people. Have a wizard that does magic missile and in a longer fight starts relying on fire bolt. Make the movie an homage to the game without ever revealing the ruleset; no "magic dust".

On the other hand character sheets in the post-credit scenes could be humorous.

 

[Gradine]

We have quite a few successful examples of what a D&D movie should look like, they just need to be updated with the genre trappings. Guardians if the Galaxy, the better Fast and Furious movies, the new Jumanjis...

 

[Oofta]

We have quite a few successful examples of what a D&D should look like, they just need to be updated with the genre trappings. Guardians if the Galaxy, the better Fast and Furious movies...

There were "better" F&F Movies?

 

[Gradine]

There were "better" F&F Movies?

Hey, I was as surprised as you are