D&D Movie/TV D&D Movie Moves Forward With Deal With Former Marvel Exec Jeremy Latcham

[LuisCarlos17f]

The shadow elves from Mystara weren't darkskin. And even if one or more of the heroes are darkskin, there is a little "drow" may become a racist nickname in a future, or for the reverse sexism.

What about a cartoon? Hasbro can do it with its own studio, Allspark. The key is a good story, and they can work with a partneship.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Because Drow have always been depicted as having Caucasian features and gray skin. Blacks do not have Caucasian features or gray skin.

Pretty much every black person I know really strongly dislikes when people refer to black people as “blacks”, just FYI.

Also, Drow have never had grey skin. They have black skin with blue to purple undertones usually. Sometimes light enough to just be dark purple instead, but grey? I’ve never seen it.
All that aside, faithfulness to the exact visual aesthetic isn’t important, at all.
the Drow can be blue and range in features from west African to South Asian, as long as it works on camera.

It's difficult for black to show much dept in art which is why in the old comics Superman had blue hair and we have purple or gray drow.

But yes, I think "the evil elven race is just white people in black face with pointy ears" or "black actors in pointy ears depict a race that overwhelmingly evil" then I think there could well be an issue.

In addition, there are very few people that have skin tone dark enough to match what is depicted for drow.

And there should just be dark skinned elves, anyway. The Drow, if they appear, shouldn’t have human hair or skin tone.

Showing an enclave of good surface Drow who are still very different from their neighbors, and having a character be from there, would pretty well do the trick, IMO.

 

[Traycor]

It just strikes me as a completely unnecessary risk, when there is so much material that can be drawn from that have none of the issues. Why take that risk?

I haven't seen any recent numbers, but drow have consistently been one of the most popular D&D villains. Just like how the Spider-Man movies used Green Goblin over and over or Batman used Joker over and over, the studio is going to default want the most popular members of the rogues gallery for the film.

Really, I don't even think it's a risk if it's done right. The people doing concept designs and the ones doing makeup tests will ask all these same questions, and they will find film-appropriate solutions.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I haven't seen any recent numbers, but drow have consistently been one of the most popular D&D villains. Just like how the Spider-Man movies used Green Goblin over and over or Batman used Joker over and over, the studio is going to default want the most popular members of the rogues gallery for the film.

Really, I don't even think it's a risk if it's done right. The people doing concept designs and the ones doing makeup tests will ask all these same questions, and they will find film-appropriate solutions.

The popularity of drow among D&D fans is immaterial. If I were in charge of a D&D movie I would want the D&D movie to be the foundation of a franchise. Like Iron Man founded the MCU. So I just do not see the need to risk any unnecessary controversy. The Drow could be brought into a later movie.

You know what? This D&D movie does not need Drow, it needs Dragons.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Hmm... you quoted where I said decades (which is true) and then quoted where I said "past peak popularity." Not sure what your argument is.

"Past peak" was 20 years ago. It's been down hill from there.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, aren't those last couple of books about Jarlaxle and Zaknafein? I would guess Drizzt is barely even in them.

Who knows? No one read them.

 

[darjr]

AhahaahH!!!

WotC wouldn’t include the VERY actors in their new movie. Not right in front of our faces months ahead of any kind of announcement and laugh into their sleeves?

no. They never do anything like that.

 

[Traycor]

It's difficult for black to show much dept in art which is why in the old comics Superman had blue hair and we have purple or gray drow.

The issues you're describing hold true for film. Plus, all art has had purple/blue/gray drow for decades. That's what even the fanbase expects.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Interesting theory on potential casting.

Well, the movie could do with some female representation, and she can do bad-ass adventurer. The list of names floating around is rather heavy on testosterone.

 

[Traycor]

"Past peak" was 20 years ago. It's been down hill from there.

Who knows? No one read them.

You got me curious, so I looked up Timeless, the book just before the most recent one, and that book says that it was both a New York Times and USA Today best seller.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I will eat my shoe if the movie is a remake of any Drizzt Do'Urden book.

I am fairly certain the movie will take place in modern-day Toril, around 1494 DR, and the Drizzt books started out more than 100 years in the past of FR.