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.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

so what do you doubters think are in the binders?

A series bible. Various Dragonlance ephemera that doesn't have another place to store it. Rejected or aborted past projects. Dragonlance decoupage.

This is a very elaborate fantasy being spun out of a photo of a few Trapper Keepers.

 

[darjr]

I was wondering why Joe has transformed himself to look like Mordenkainen.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The first part of the approvals process in Hollywood is market research on a property. The print-out of the Rotten Tomatoes page will be the top of the packet.

I doubt it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It probably won't be Dragonlance.

I'm certain it won't be Dragonlance - for a very simple reason - Dragonlance is too big to fit into one movie, and at the moment one movie is all they are making. They haven't announced a three movie sequence, and it would be stupid to make a "Part One" without closure.

You could do Dragonlance as a TV series - and I think that is much more likely.

In a single movie there isn't even much space for worldbuilding, so the will want to make the setting as generic and broadly familiar as possible.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I'm certain it won't be Dragonlance - for a very simple reason - Dragonlance is too big to fit into one movie, and at the moment one movie is all they are making. They haven't announced a three movie sequence, and it would be stupid to make a "Part One" without closure.

You could do Dragonlance as a TV series - and I think that is much more likely.

In a single movie there isn't even much space for worldbuilding, so the will want to make the setting as generic and broadly familiar as possible.

um....there is a huge amount of worldbuilding in many fantasy and sci-fi movies.

 

[embee]

I think everyone is focusing on the wrong movies as precedent for this.

I think that the movies that are a better predictor, both of narrative quality and box office ROI, are the Transformers movies, the GI Joe movies, the Ouija movies (yes, movies - there were two of them), the Power Rangers movies, and Battleship. Hasbro signed Pine to generate interest and get investors on board, much like getting Liam Neeson and Rihanna for Battleship.

You can speculate on whether it will have a good story, what setting it will be in, or if it will be Drizzt or Dragonlance all you want but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the movie turns a profit.

And the binders aren't scripts. If anything, they're manuscripts for the Dragonlance novels. Maybe W&H actually managed to write complete drafts of the second and third books in the trilogy in the last two months.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

And the binders aren't scripts. If anything, they're manuscripts for the Dragonlance novels. Maybe W&H actually managed to write complete drafts of the second and third books in the trilogy in the last two months.

They probably never stopped writing. WoTC is reacting to public sentiment an awful lot these days, so the potentially social cudgel of "we have complete drafts of the full trilogy ready for editorial review, any time WoTC wants to stop this nonsense and get back to work" is a pretty good card to have at the ready.

Hell, I think Weis said at some point that she has sketched out a total rewrite of the Chronicles in light of being a much better author these days, that she'd love to finish and published as an updated version of the trilogy if wotc would allow it.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

It is too soon for a teleserie based in the main trilogies. Hasbro after transfomers haven't found totally the right keys to be pushed to produce true blockbusters. They aren't ready yet for a franchise so important, too risky. They have to learn how to produce a right D&D movie and then to produce Ravenloft action-live, Dark Sun, Birthright, Dragonlance.

I would dare to say we will see a Jakandor action-live before because it's easier to be adapted into a movie, with only humans.

An updated version of the original novels wouldn't be a bad idea but my great fear is trying to be "inclusive", causing a reject as "too agresive proselitism". But fandom would allow a bisexual Kitiara.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

um....there is a huge amount of worldbuilding in many fantasy and sci-fi movies.

Which? Avatar? They fit in the world building by leaving out the plot.

 

[embee]

They probably never stopped writing. WoTC is reacting to public sentiment an awful lot these days, so the potentially social cudgel of "we have complete drafts of the full trilogy ready for editorial review, any time WoTC wants to stop this nonsense and get back to work"

They don't have complete drafts of the full trilogy. They said they were waiting on approval on the first one, had written a substantial amount of the second one, and were plotting the third one. It's in the Complaint if you'd like to read it.