D&D General D&D TV Show Announced

[jgsugden]

They made a public statement that there is pursuit of a TV series. It is a matter of piddly definition whether you consider that a TV show announcement.

Regardless, we've seen a lot of things with far more definite language fail to turn into anything. Salvatore wrote a pilot for a show that reportedly featured Drizz't over a decade ago, and it never materialized, for example. Until they actually have people attached and a pilot scheduled, there is no reason for excitement. For the past 40 years we've been waiting for someone to make a real D&D show, and they never have … but we get a lot of things that could have been a D&D show, like GoT, but come from IP that has been popular because ofthe influence of D&D. At this point, a D&D show is going to just be generic fantasy unless it features the IP of WotC - meaning a Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk or (highly unlikely) Dragonlance show.

 

[Zardnaar]

Will you provide video evidence? Sworn affidavits? Starting a betting pool?

Video or photo.

 

[Oofta]

The one reason to believe this could happen is because of how cheap special effects have become. But time will tell, there are also more options for marketing and funding a show with the new streaming channels. May depend in part on how well the Vox Machina does on Amazon Prime.

Personally, I think animated is a better venue for a D&D TV show than live action, but I won't hold my breath either way. In addition, a lot of shows have been pushed back because of covid so I wouldn't expect anything any time soon.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

It is years away and not even in production, but something to look forward to.

You may misunderstand how that industry works then. Just because it's announced that it's "In the works" doesn't mean it will EVER see broadcast. If it does it may look WILDLY different than when it started out. If it does it may be shlock, it may be an expensive flop, it could be ANYTHING right now - or nothing. Even if there's an announcement that it's in production it could end up as nothing but an unaired pilot.

Not trying to burst any bubbles but this announcement means nothing. It's just the first step away from, "We're not doing anything and not even thinking about it."

 

[Mercurius]

You may misunderstand how that industry works then. Just because it's announced that it's "In the works" doesn't mean it will EVER see broadcast. If it does it may look WILDLY different than when it started out. If it does it may be shlock, it may be an expensive flop, it could be ANYTHING right now - or nothing. Even if there's an announcement that it's in production it could end up as nothing but an unaired pilot.

Not trying to burst any bubbles but this announcement means nothing. It's just the first step away from, "We're not doing anything and not even thinking about it."

Me things you're extrapolating too much on my understanding of how the industry works, and misunderstanding the point of the thread: which is to talk about what you'd like to see from a D&D TV show. Have some fun

 

[Mercurius]

I always thought a D&D campaign would work better as a TV series than as a movie(s). It works for Critical Role (which I know is different), so I think it's a good idea. That is, as long as it is good (production, acting, special effects, characters, plot, etc).

I don't care what the setting is, they're probably going to go for one of the more classic settings (Forgotten Realms, probably). They're almost definitely not going to do Dark Sun or Spelljammer or Ravenloft, or other more "gonzo" or gloomy settings. I think the tone will probably be more similar to Critical Role, the Mandalorian, or the MCU, with a general serious tone, but some more comedic aspects. That's what I'd prefer, at least.

I think it could work if it is done well.

Yes, agreed - a tv series would allow the episodic feel of D&D to unfold. A film would work well with one of the more epic stories, like Dragonlance Chronicles. At the very least, I'd prefer that a TV series start more from its sword and sorcery roots, and only gradually involve more epic fantasy tones.

MCU is a "dangerous" influence and role model. On one hand, I agree: the formula has worked really well. I personally eventually experienced MCU fatigue, but there's no denying that they're well-wrought and their commercial success means the proof is in the pudding. While the films are geared towards younger folks, they have broad appeal - in a similar way to, but even more so than, Pixar films. Perhaps most of all, they found a way to incorporate humor without overly diminishing the seriousness and epic quality.

But the problem is that it may not translate well to other venues, and is also probably more difficult to capture than dozens of MCU films imply. The humor is very contemporary America; that sort of humor might not work well in a fantasy world, or at least reduce any atmospheric qualities, and atmosphere is hugely important in fantasy. The LotR films successfully incorporated some humor, but it was light and felt organic to the world itself (e.g. hobbits being hobbits).

Here's an example of what I'm talking about, as far as "real world jokes" intruding upon a fantasy venue: Poe's joke about waiting on hold in The Last Jedi. Not only was the joke rather flat, it was based upon things from our world and broke the sense of the Star Wars universe being its own thing.

So my worry would be that a TV show would include a bunch of "nerd jokes" - wink-winks to the gamers and such - and try too hard to emulate the campy and fun nature of MCU, while at the same time diminishing fantasy atmosphere.

 

[Mercurius]

A D&D TV show has not been announced.

That's a long article, but here is the entire quote from the quarterly earnings call that it's based on: "The team is busy working on the Dungeons & Dragons live action feature film. They’re also working on a couple of different approaches, because there’s so much mythology in Canon to Dungeons & Dragons for live action television. And there’s been very strong interest. We’ve talked about how many global streamers and other terrestrial broadcasters have been very interested in Dungeons & Dragons.”

It isn't really a long article, and while I agree that a specific show hasn't been announced, it is certainly in pre-planning. They're exploring ideas, talking to people. So perhaps I would have included "in the works" in the thread title to be more specific.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If we talk about humor in a fantasy world we should remember "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". I guess the scriptwriters have got some experience about that. Hercules & Xena sometimes could be very fun episodes, close to the comedy, when others were more dramatic.

....mmmm now I am thinking in a new D&D with the classic pantheons from our old mythologies.

Other option would be a remake of the mystic knights of Tir Na Nog.


Or something like "The Adventures of Sinbad" (wikipedia says it's by Entertainment-One and therefore by Hasbro, isn't it?).


Hasbro could talk with Warner of a remake of "Pirates of the Dark Waters".

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Screw live action, I want an Eberron animated series.

 

[jgsugden]

The difference between animation and live action is getting thinner and thinner all the time. I'd rather see something where we can suspend disbelief and enjoy the visuals. If you look at the Mandalorian's most recent episode, you'll see what we can do these days.