D&D Movie/TV Dungeons & Dragons 3 Movie Trailer

[Stalker0]

wow....I've seen better acting in fanfic films...

And better effects

 

[delericho]

Oops. They've gone and done it again. No, I don't know why either.

The second one made just enough money? Also, it may well be that the licensing agreement specifies that if the rights aren't used for X years, then they revert back to WotC - I believe a similar motivation has given us "The Amazing Spiderman".

From what I hear - and I really don't know the truth of this - WotC has zero control over these movies. The rights were sold (or licensed for a period of time) and the publishers of D&D have no input at all.

Except... wasn't the 4e "Book of Vile Darkness" intended to tie in to this movie?

It's used as an opbject lesson in other RPG companies as to what NOT to do with your IP licenses. If you know anything about this, feel free to post it below.

I know that TSR licensed the movie rights to Courtney Solomon many years ago, despite his never having directed anything. He was eventually able to get the first film made, with himself as director. He was also involved in the second film (producer?), and I expect is involved in this one in some capacity. I imagine that this must be the same license that still hasn't expired - otherwise, it supposes that WotC have reclaimed the rights and then licensed them out to the wrong people again.

At this point, were I WotC/Hasbro, I would be trying to determine what it would take to get those rights back - everything has a price. Surely those movies can't be good for the IP. (And with Hasbro now making big bucks off their "movies based on games", and D&D having good name recognition...)

 

[Someone]

I recommend sodium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid and generous amounts of ethanol. Apply directly to the brain.

 

[Plageman]

I don't know I'm not interested in a pure dungeon crawling movie. I hate it at my table, so I won't pay for such a thing.

Also making a D&D movie is quite hard since everybody has a different opinion on what makes D&D, so unless they go for an adaptation of a novel series I don't think it will work.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Fun fact:

The actress that played the cursed and sickly magic-user in D&D 2 is good friends with the UK Prime Minister's wife and has written columns in The Observer newspaper.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

What the hell? No Snails? What a letdown. Come on, Hollywood, DnD has a Raise Dead spell. Oh, and dragons are easily defeated by amateur adventurers, so make sure you have a crap-ton of them so they seem like a real threat.

 

[Stumblewyk]

In all sincerity (and to echo some sentiments above), the second movie wasn't terrible. It was entertaining, in that "I know this isn't good, but it's also not particularly bad, and hey, dragons!" kind of way. Regardless, it was still bad enough that I'd be embarrassed to be caught watching it.

The first movie was trash, and this movie looks, from the trailers, to be a couple steps below the second movie, leaving it about a step above the first movie. Meaning it's probably bad, but not terrible. Leaving to me to assume if I were to ever watch it, it would be while my wife was away for a few hours, and I knew no one would possibly stop by the house. And even then I would never speak of it to anyone.

 

[ArmoredSaint]

Ugh.

What is it about the ubiquity of hideous black studded/spiked leather armour in bad fantasy films? I just know that they could have gotten better-looking plate or mail for a lot less money than that ugly stuff, so that means that they meant for it to be in there.

I live for the day when medieval-esque movies finally grow past the "Dungeonpunk" aesthetic...

 

[Hal G]

Sorry but just plainly speaking...
It looks terrible and I will not watch it, I do not want anyone to watch it so it makes no money and it goes away so maybe, just maybe it gets a quality reboot.

I mean c'mon Battleship got a movie!

 

[Klaus]

Oy.

 

[delericho]

Also making a D&D movie is quite hard since everybody has a different opinion on what makes D&D, so unless they go for an adaptation of a novel series I don't think it will work.

Well, there was that Dragonlance movie of a couple of years ago...

In all honesty, I don't think it matters. You can have good adaptations (LotR) and bad adaptations (Dragonlance, the new Conan), good original stories (Um... Your Majesty?) and bad original stories (D&D). They should worry a whole lot less on trying to capture "what makes D&D", instead focus first on making a good film; at least then they'd get one thing right.

In all sincerity (and to echo some sentiments above), the second movie wasn't terrible.

IMO, the second film is better than the first in every single metric - better story, better writing, better actors (shockingly), better FX...

But it's a whole hell of a lot less fun. By improving the quality, they managed to elevate it out of "so bad it's good" territory, and squarely into just "bad". At least with the first film you get to mock the Jeremy Irons vs Thora Birch duel of over/under-acting.

 

[Adso]

I know that TSR licensed the movie rights to Courtney Solomon many years ago, despite his never having directed anything. He was eventually able to get the first film made, with himself as director. He was also involved in the second film (producer?), and I expect is involved in this one in some capacity. I imagine that this must be the same license that still hasn't expired - otherwise, it supposes that WotC have reclaimed the rights and then licensed them out to the wrong people again.

This is true. And as long as he keeps making movies within a certain time period he gets to retain those rights.

When I worked at Wizards, we were having a meeting bemoaning this fact and I told my boss, "give me a car, some cash, don't ask any questions, and I'll get those movie rights back." I was told Hasbro doesn't do things like that. East Coast companies these days. They've lost their way. They have no will.

 

[Alisair Longreach]

I remember vaguely that that the 4E Book of Vile Darkness box was tied to a Sci-Fi (SyFy ?) channel TV movie. Might it be this movie since it also has the tagline: Book of Vile Darkness?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Ok, WHAT THE HELL??!??!?

We have:

Dungeons & Dragons (2000) - IMDb 3.6 stars
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005) - IMDb 4.8 stars
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Video 2008) - IMDb 4.8 stars
Dungeons & Dragons (TV Series 1983) - IMDb (The old cartoon got 7.8 stars)


Compared to:

Transformers (2007) - IMDb 7.2 stars.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) - IMDb 5.9 stars.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) - IMDb 6.3 stars.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) - IMDb 5.6 stars (and complete with a Wayans).

Battleship (2012) - IMDb 6.2 stars


Even
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (TV Series 2010) - IMDb 8.0 stars.


All of the other Hasbro I.P. at least breaks 5 stars. We have freakin' Jeremy Irons in a movie with 3.6 stars?

COME ON!

Also, please note the following, in development:
Candy Land (????) - IMDb (apparently starring Adam Sandler)

 

[Alzrius]

Given that this movie will embarrass D&D gamers everywhere and besmirch our collective hobby, I say we take action! Let's find a way to force the production studio to change this monstrosity of a movie's name to that of an RPG that matches this movie's quality.

Ergo, I hereby call for this film to be renamed Synnibarr: The Book of Vile Dorkness. Who's with me?

 

[Umbran]

What the hell? No Snails? What a letdown.

Yeah! I mean, really, the only thing good about the first movie was that he got killed! You expect to satisfy anyone with this if you don't have Snails to kill?!?

 

[Ramaster]

Man, I hope they get back that chick that played the wizard on the first movie (I think her name was Marina). She was smoking hot.

Also, the guy that convinced Jeremy Irons to star on the first one must have one of those rare Glibness Potions!

Come to think of it, if D&D was made on 2000, that woman is 12 years older now… WOW, D&D Was 12 years ago!? Man, I' M OLD

 

[Dragoslav]

Given that this movie will embarrass D&D gamers everywhere and besmirch our collective hobby, I say we take action! Let's find a way to force the production studio to change this monstrosity of a movie's name to that of an RPG that matches this movie's quality.

Ergo, I hereby call for this film to be renamed Synnibarr: The Book of Vile Dorkness. Who's with me?

You beat me to it. I was going to say:

"Book of Vile Darkness?" More like "Movie of Juvenile Dorkness."

Yeah! I mean, really, the only thing good about the first movie was that he got killed! You expect to satisfy anyone with this if you don't have Snails to kill?!?

Bringing back Snails in every movie just to have him die in overblown and satisfying ways would be hilarious, but too brilliant for the makers of these hokey movies.

 

[Ramaster]

Do you know how to make an ass-kicking D&D movie?! Bring Vin F'ing Diessel and make him star AND direct it. He has stated before that he is a D&D fan. Also, he was on the design team of those Riddik games that got very good reviews.

Other than that, yeah, make a good Drizzt movie and watch the nerds give you money (Myself included!).

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Yeah! I mean, really, the only thing good about the first movie was that he got killed! You expect to satisfy anyone with this if you don't have Snails to kill?!?

It could be quite brilliant. Have him die in a different, hard-to-watch way each time, like Kenny in South Park. "Oh my god! He killed Snails! You barghest!"