D&D Movie/TV D&D TV Show By John Wick Creator

From Hollywood Reporter — “Derek Kolstad, the creator and writer behind the John Wick franchise, has been tapped to pen and develop a pitch for a live-action series based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe.”

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Series in the Works With ‘John Wick’ Writer (Exclusive)

Derek Kolstad, the creator and writer behind the John Wick franchise, has been tapped to pen and develop a pitch for a live-action series based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

The article doesn’t say anything more, unfortunately, other than describing what D&D is — “Affectionately referred to by fans as D&D, the game is known for its wars, treasure hunts, campaigns, camaraderie, and reversals of fortune, all in a setting that combines humans, elves, orcs and hundreds of other creatures. The game famously uses multisided dice in gameplay to further the imaginary story and is overseen by a host known as the Dungeon Master.”

 

[tetrasodium]

We have to remember the original James Bond from the books wouldn't be "politically correct" even in the past decades.

The serie will be not only for D&D fandom but mainly for people who know nothing about D&D. Cinema studios notice this is not about a lot of FXs but telling a good story with interesting characters, and more of one creator has forgotten the difference between being cool or other annoying and boring Mary Sue/Marthy Stu.

A famous franchise is not enough. Blade the vampire-hunter was a true blockbuster in the cinemas, but the teleserie was only one season (and ended with a cliffhunger). Buffy the vampire-slayer was not a smash-hit in the cinemas, but the teleserie is a classic.

D&D as TV show doesn't need the same group of heroes, not even for one season. Even "hidden pilot episodes" may be possible.

And an action-live TV show has to offer something you can't find in a isekai fantasy anime.

I think you might be overhyping the blade tv series

 

[Chaosmancer]

I'm always suspicious when I hear an adaptation is veering away from the source material in bizarre ways. If they removed dwarves, halflings, and elves it would just make me wonder why the hell they bothered to call it D&D. If they can't even get the basics right then why should I invest anything in the show? So, yeah, I don't think they can remove them from the show. Why would they? It'd make me think they were embarrassed about the source material.

Remove might be too much, but if they had a focus on some of the less traditional races, I'd be happy. It is that kind of stuff that can make a fantasy series unique. "The one with the elf and the dwarf" isn't going to stick out in people's minds.

 

[MGibster]

Remove might be too much, but if they had a focus on some of the less traditional races, I'd be happy. It is that kind of stuff that can make a fantasy series unique. "The one with the elf and the dwarf" isn't going to stick out in people's minds.

Maybe they will. There are a myriad of unique races to use for antagonist. Mind Flayers might be pretty cool.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I, on the other hand, think they will milk that cash cow for all it's worth

If you set out to make a cheap knock-off it will always be inferior to the original. It will never be good.

We already have one cheap Tolkien knock-off in the works, I hope they have the courage to do something more original with this show.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Maybe they will. There are a myriad of unique races to use for antagonist. Mind Flayers might be pretty cool.

That certainly is one way to go, but villains are tricky.

Some of the best villains are the ones in the shadows, the ones whose faces you do not see until a big climax. That feels right for the type of scheming BBEG that would work for a TV show. Also, you would need to introduce villains fairly regularly to keep the interest in a TV show. It makes it harder for them to have an impact like what I am thinking of.

Not saying it can't work, just that it is trickier

 

[ART!]

I, on the other hand, think they will milk that cash cow for all it's worth - this is show biz after all. Which, since halflings are completely impractical, and dwarves fairly impractical, means we'll almost certainly have elves as important characters.

Beyond that, since it will be branded off the game, and the PHB specifically states that humans, dwarves, haflings, and elves are the "common races", that again points to having elves as important characters for the same reason.

I get that elves are seen as cliche, but, there is precisely zero chance they will purposely forgo them, or even assign them to a minor role, or even, as you say, change them radically. They are a major part of the IP, and audiences in general will expect to see stereotypical elves in a D&D product. I mean, to the uninitiated, D&D is basically "elves and all that".

One approach that just struck me regarding elves: have a couple or a few distinctly different kinds of elves, who look distinctly different. That risks muddying the waters, but in a series you'd have the breathing room to make things clear. Make wood elves look different enough from high elves that it's clear at a glance. Jackson's Middle-earth movies made those differences mostly about costuming and demeanor.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

One approach that just struck me regarding elves: have a couple or a few distinctly different kinds of elves, who look distinctly different. That risks muddying the waters, but in a series you'd have the breathing room to make things clear. Make wood elves look different enough from high elves that it's clear at a glance. Jackson's Middle-earth movies made those differences mostly about costuming and demeanor.

It would be interesting seeing elves done using cgi and mo-cap, so they could look properly alien and closer to the art.

That would be more feasible for the movie than the TV show though. Don't want humans with rubber ears.

 

[ART!]

It would be interesting seeing elves done using cgi and mo-cap, so they could look properly alien and closer to the art.

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That would be more feasible for the movie than the TV show though. Don't want humans with rubber ears.

You know, i don't see anything there that's not do-able on a modern, high-end tv budget. Star Trek: Discovery has had some repeated, featured guest characters with intensely blue or green skin, and I think it's not just make-up - there's post-production color correction going on there. And the ears don't have to be that big to get the point across.

Heh - "point".

 

[MGibster]

Honestly, I just want a decent story. Although super unique elves and other such things would be nice, at my advanced age I just can't watch something with the expectation that special effects will carry the program.

 

[ART!]

Every other episode needs to be about the main characters pointlessly planning ad nauseum what they're going to do next.

Also, at random a main character should just not be in the current episode, even though the characters are traveling and the character was there last week and is there again next week.