Henadic Theologian
Hero
I'd like to see a completely R rated DC universe.
D&D Movie/TV D&D Cinematic Universe. What would it be like? What do you want to see?
- Thread starter darjr
- Start date
GMforPowergamers
Legend
I would love to see multi adventureing groups in the same world... with some 'npc' support actors being the tie that binds them. Could they do a big 'avengers style' team up sure... but I think I would rather if multi groups 'took off' they run 2 movies the same year that had the two interacting more in the background... something like "OMG Orcus is invading and 1 group is in waterdeep stopping part of it and the other is in Icewinddale stopping part of it"
Shades of Eternity
Hero
Minsc (and Boo)'s big adventure!
Make him the Forest Gump of DND and have be just about everywhere.
Make him the Forest Gump of DND and have be just about everywhere.
OB1
Jedi Master
The difficult part of D&D creating an MCU like 'universe' lies in not having the huge bank of pre-tested characters that the MCU has to draw on, and characters are what makes movies.
That said, they absolutely have the opportunity to use the various settings to explore a wealth of genres (was it Perkins who mentioned way back in '15 or so that was what they wanted for the settings themselves in 5e anyhow) so as long as they can keep coming up with solid characters to populate those films they could be all right.
The advantage they have (IMO) is that they don't have to tightly tie the stories together, but still have a chance for a Tier IV crossover event to save the 'fundamental order of the multiverse' with heroes from different settings/movies coming together, but that still requires the audience falling in love with those characters in the first place.
That said, they absolutely have the opportunity to use the various settings to explore a wealth of genres (was it Perkins who mentioned way back in '15 or so that was what they wanted for the settings themselves in 5e anyhow) so as long as they can keep coming up with solid characters to populate those films they could be all right.
The advantage they have (IMO) is that they don't have to tightly tie the stories together, but still have a chance for a Tier IV crossover event to save the 'fundamental order of the multiverse' with heroes from different settings/movies coming together, but that still requires the audience falling in love with those characters in the first place.
aco175
Legend
I'm in the camp of waiting until we see how this new movie does. While it would be good to have it be a success and spin a lot of other things, history tells us to not expect much.
Traditional movie series leave a cliffhanger to set up a 2nd movie in a trilogy, so there is that. Then a origin movie of a main character or two, taking a few years to spit out. At the same time making another movie trying to catch fire again while setting up a tie between the new movie and the original. A tie-in movie, a split-off movie.
MCU works so well at first since everyone already knows from comics who Thor and Iron Man were. Half the character development was there. The other half may have been picking Robert Downey Jr for the initial movie and his charisma taking over.
Traditional movie series leave a cliffhanger to set up a 2nd movie in a trilogy, so there is that. Then a origin movie of a main character or two, taking a few years to spit out. At the same time making another movie trying to catch fire again while setting up a tie between the new movie and the original. A tie-in movie, a split-off movie.
MCU works so well at first since everyone already knows from comics who Thor and Iron Man were. Half the character development was there. The other half may have been picking Robert Downey Jr for the initial movie and his charisma taking over.
Stormonu
Legend
I’m in agreement with “make a good movie first”, then worry about expanding. DC’s and the Monsterverse problems were trying to force it before they got viewer buy-in.
Though I’d like to see an extended series covering Dragonlance, but I fear we’d get the story/acting quality of the animated version, if not effects.
Though I’d like to see an extended series covering Dragonlance, but I fear we’d get the story/acting quality of the animated version, if not effects.
darjr
I crit!
If you listen to the Dragonlance movie I’ve heard that it fares much better.
I haven’t the heart to try even that.
Stormonu
Legend
In that case, I’d rather listen to the (dramatized) Audio Book.
OB1
Jedi Master
That's a great point. The villains in D&D are central to the experience, and if you cast that right (I think Hugh Grant was a stroke of casting genius for the first film) the rest may fall into place easier. And this dovetails with how 5e runs APs anyhow.
Parmandur
Book-Friend
I just want them to have fun with it. The thing that makes D&D well suited for this sort of thing is that they could come up with script pitches by rolling on random tables I'm the DMG. There doesnneed to be a profound, world shaking story, just fun stories in a fantastical world.
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
Yep. Everyone wants to have the MCU’s success without laying the groundwork Marvel Studios did to get there. If I have one hope for a potential “D&D Cinematic Universe,” it’s that they don’t fall into this trap.Quite right.
The desire to launch into a "cinematic universe" is always doomed unless the base is solid.
Let's assume HAT is very successful and popular. The next step would be to either make a sequel, or do another Forgotten Realms-set D&D movie, following different characters (perhaps with some minor crossover/link). If that too is successful and popular, you've got a fairly solid place to go from, but you need some seriously solid thinking about where the franchise is going to go, and to not move too fast. You can't expect to become the MCU, but you might well become something like Fast & Furious.
Basically though they need to land this one, then land another one set in the FR, then probably a sequel to this one, before anyone can even start talking "cinematic universe".
The only other settings which are likely to become relevant in the first few movies would be Spelljammer and Planescape, both of which would potentially work extremely well cinematically and are traditionally closely linked to the FR.
But the main thing would have to be to keep the quality of the movies up. If you wanted to cross over to another D&D world, Tal'Dorei would probably be a better bet than any WotC setting, at least initially. I could definitely see a movie where they ended up Sigil and then going through a few Prime Materials as part of a heist or scheme or the like, with brief visits to places like Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, and so on (carefully avoiding showing any key characters so you have casting freedom later).
Also, it would be really good if they could get an FR TV series or two going (as they'd been thinking) and ensure that they have "aesthetic compatibility" with this. The only slight concern I have about HAT is that the aesthetic isn't quite what I'd expect from "The Forgotten Realms" and is a little bit more "Generic Fantasy" (needs more oversized cabochon-cut gems!), but that's a key part of what's made both the F&F movies and the MCU work, and what's made the DCU have problems. Aesthetics. Kevin Feige is famous for becoming obsessed with a slightly horrible colour-grading scheme and forcing it on a bunch of MCU movies, but that plus other choices did give MCU movies (and later series) a fairly consistent aesthetic until they had a firm enough base to play with it in more recent stuff (but even, say, Ms. Marvel's more outre aesthetic is till MCU-ish). So they need someone in that Kevin Feige roll to be pulling everything together. That would be Mike Mearls, given he's "Franchise Creative Director". Hopefully he's up to the task and can avoid future scandals.
John R Davis
Hero
An Eberron TV series would be cool. Investigation type
Mercurius
Legend
There's really no single way I'd like to see a D&D cinematic universe play out. To be honest, the more (films and series), the merrier - as long as a basic threshold of quality is maintained.
That said, I'd much rather see them focus on series over films, if only because a single season of a 10-episode series provides 10 hours of watching per year vs 1-2 films providing 3-4 hours of watching.
And of course we should be reasonable in our expectations. If we project forward over the next five years (2023-27), what can we reasonably expect, and assuming the first film is a success? Maybe 3-4 films and/or 1-2 series?
Given the caveat that there is almost zero chance that a D&DCU would be anywhere near the popularity of the MCU (it doesn't have to be), let's look at the MCU and how it developed over its first five years:
2008: Two films - Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk
2009: No films
2010: One film - Iron Man 2
2011: Two films - Thor, Captain America 1
2012: One film - The Avengers
So in the first five years, there were only six films. The first TV series (Agents of SHIELD) didn't come out until 2013).
In the next five years, 2013-17, there were ELEVEN films and TEN TV series that began.
In the third trio of five years, 2018-22, there were THIRTEEN films and TEN new TV series.
So as you can see, the MCU started small - the first half decade saw an average of one film per year, with no TV series.
Now that doesn't mean we'll see the same pattern, though I'm guessing we won't see a D&D movie next year. They'll at least want to get initial returns before investing in further films and TV series. But they also might be able to accelerate the process a bit, given that they have a lot of recent history to draw from or various franchises.
My totally wild guess is that if we do see further films and tv series, the second film won't come out until 2024 at the earliest, and no later than early 2025, as they'll want to build some momentum (and even 2025 is a bit too long). Third and further films would probably be one per year, at least for the next few years, with a series not before 2025, and probably more like 2026-27.
So my guess for 2022-26 would be 3-4 films, and 0-1 series. After that depends upon popularity. We can hope that 2027-31 would give us 5-8 films and 1-3 series, but that might be a bit greedy. It wouldn't have to be anything like the MCU in popularity, but it would have to be very successful.
As for what they "should" do or what I want them to do, as I said, I just want good quality. I don't care as much if they're all set in the Realms, or if we get other worlds - at least at first. I suspect they'll stick to the Realms for the first few offerings at least. Maybe a third or fourth film (or series) will be set elsewhere.
That said, I'd much rather see them focus on series over films, if only because a single season of a 10-episode series provides 10 hours of watching per year vs 1-2 films providing 3-4 hours of watching.
And of course we should be reasonable in our expectations. If we project forward over the next five years (2023-27), what can we reasonably expect, and assuming the first film is a success? Maybe 3-4 films and/or 1-2 series?
Given the caveat that there is almost zero chance that a D&DCU would be anywhere near the popularity of the MCU (it doesn't have to be), let's look at the MCU and how it developed over its first five years:
2008: Two films - Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk
2009: No films
2010: One film - Iron Man 2
2011: Two films - Thor, Captain America 1
2012: One film - The Avengers
So in the first five years, there were only six films. The first TV series (Agents of SHIELD) didn't come out until 2013).
In the next five years, 2013-17, there were ELEVEN films and TEN TV series that began.
In the third trio of five years, 2018-22, there were THIRTEEN films and TEN new TV series.
So as you can see, the MCU started small - the first half decade saw an average of one film per year, with no TV series.
Now that doesn't mean we'll see the same pattern, though I'm guessing we won't see a D&D movie next year. They'll at least want to get initial returns before investing in further films and TV series. But they also might be able to accelerate the process a bit, given that they have a lot of recent history to draw from or various franchises.
My totally wild guess is that if we do see further films and tv series, the second film won't come out until 2024 at the earliest, and no later than early 2025, as they'll want to build some momentum (and even 2025 is a bit too long). Third and further films would probably be one per year, at least for the next few years, with a series not before 2025, and probably more like 2026-27.
So my guess for 2022-26 would be 3-4 films, and 0-1 series. After that depends upon popularity. We can hope that 2027-31 would give us 5-8 films and 1-3 series, but that might be a bit greedy. It wouldn't have to be anything like the MCU in popularity, but it would have to be very successful.
As for what they "should" do or what I want them to do, as I said, I just want good quality. I don't care as much if they're all set in the Realms, or if we get other worlds - at least at first. I suspect they'll stick to the Realms for the first few offerings at least. Maybe a third or fourth film (or series) will be set elsewhere.
Rabulias
the Incomparably Shrewd and Clever
Agreed on the idea of a Kevin Feige role (see also Dave Filoni and Star Wars for a similar role) overseeing the "big picture" for a shared universe, but I don't know if Mike Mearls is the right person for the job. Not sure who I would nominate in his stead, though.
