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.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley will be directing the film which features "an ensemble cast and take a subversive approach to the game."

Chris Pine In Talks To Star In ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ For eOne And Paramount; Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley Direct

Chris Pine To Star In 'Dungeons & Dragons'

deadline.com

Chris Pine has closed a deal to star in Dungeons & Dragons, the live action film based on Hasbro’s massively popular role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro/eOne and Paramount are jointly producing and financing, with eOne distributing in the UK and Canada, and Paramount the rest of the world.

 

[Don Durito]

The film will be like "Game Night", in this case 'subversive' means - a jokey ironic comedy with a much higher budget than all the amateur and television jokey ironic comedies about rpgs made in the last ten years, and Chris Pine is the perfect lead for that kind of film. If they were making anything close to a more serious film it would star Paul Bettany as the tortured hero getting the band back together for one last quest.

Sounds about right.

 

[Remus Lupin]

I thought this was really good news at first, but then I remembered that legit actor Jeremy Irons was in the OG D&D movie.

 

[Gradine]

I thought this was really good news at first, but then I remembered that legit actor Jeremy Irons was in the OG D&D movie.

And he knew exactly what kind of movie he was in

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The film will be like "Game Night", in this case 'subversive' means - a jokey ironic comedy with a much higher budget than all the amateur and television jokey ironic comedies about rpgs made in the last ten years, and Chris Pine is the perfect lead for that kind of film. If they were making anything close to a more serious film it would star Paul Bettany as the tortured hero getting the band back together for one last quest.

If it is, there goes any interest I'd have.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If it is, there goes any interest I'd have.

Whatever they do there will be some people who don't like it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Whatever they do there will be some people who don't like it.

I mean, sure, but the premise I replied to seems particularly bad.

I want a D&D movie, not a parody.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Ha, no.

Bowing out, but wow, no.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If they were making anything close to a more serious film it would star Paul Bettany as the tortured hero getting the band back together for one last quest.

I would also be in for this kind of movie. Critical Role is much more self-serious than most of my D&D games, but there's definitely a time and a place for that kind of storytelling.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The D&D movie shouldn't be "isekai", the subgenre about people from our real world who appear in a fantasy realm. The 80's cartoon was "isekai" and it was right, but now everybody can produce their own Jumanji rip-off.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I mean, sure, but the premise I replied to seems particularly bad.

I want a D&D movie, not a parody.

You can make comedy without parody (e.g. Guardians of the Galaxy) or parody without comedy (Knives Out). They are not the same thing at all.

But any reference to D&D mechanics, no matter how oblique, would kill any attempt to make a deadly serious movie. You can make a serious fantasy movie, but it would not be a D&D movie*. Conan the Barbarian is a serious fantasy movie, but Conan the Destroyer is much more D&D-like.

And the world has turned since Game of Thrones, the current entertainment climate if for light-hearted escapism, people have enough Grimdark in their real lives.



*You might make a deadly serious "isekai" movie, as @LuisCarlos17f terms it. The Bridge of Terabithia could fall into this category. That would be my pet "I would absolutely hate this" idea though.