How Would You Make a D&D Movie?

[dmccoy1693]

D&D 3.0 and 3.5 each had a movie to go along with their releases. I'd wonder why there is no similar movie for 4E's launch but its an easy guess that they previous two movies didn't make enough money. But if you were in charge of coming up with the basic concept of the 4E movie, what would it be?

My idea: Follow in the same vein of The Princess Bride and The Gamers and have the real side of the game (people sitting around the table and playing D&D) and the fantasy side where their characters are saving the day. Plot: Keep in the Shadowfell.

Have Mountain Dew and a major pizza delivery place do product placements. Have Stephen Colbert and Vin Diesel either star in it or do cameos.

Thoughts/other ideas?

 

[Switchblade]

Have a script writer/director/producer who actually has some past experience with making good films?

 

[smootrk]

I would simply pick an old nostalgic module like "Against the Giants" and build a plot around it. A couple of archetype warrior characters. But please please, don't announce "I am going to cast Magic Missile" followed by a couple of light balls shooting forth. Play down the actual rules/mechanics until they are not even apparent, or better yet, basically forget about rules for the purpose of making the story. All the other movies were just laughable as they described, 'I am cleric of Pelor' and whatnot! Conan never tried to make it clear to audiences that he is "power attacking" or getting a AoO.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Have a script writer/director/producer who actually has some past experience with making good films?

(Get the guys from The Gamers to do it?)

 

[Insight]

I'm working on a spec screenplay that features gamers who play a D&D-like game (without being D&D of course - I don't exactly have the license from WOTC and don't expect to get one). I don't want to reveal much of the plot, but the gamers end up using their game knowledge to save the real world.

 

[Nebulous]

Funny you should ask. i've been thinking a lot recently about a D&D movie, although i never thought of it in terms of 4e.

My thoughts? (and this is a pipe dream i realize, but what the hey)

Saga of Old City by Gary Gygax.

His first novel, followed by Artifact of Evil and then Sea of Death (with a few others after those that i never cared for).

D&D should go back to its roots. I cut my gaming teeth on Gygax's early books, and to me they still embody the essence of D&D. Sexy elves, brutal violence, and big ursine animal companions for bald druids named Curly.

As an amateur screenwriter i've frequently thought about cracking out these three old, old novels and adapting it into a trilogy. It would need considerable work, but it would be fun regardless.

They would easily be PG-13 movies, R-rated preferably, but that would hurt a theatrical release. Yeah, you can tell i've thought about this! Anyways, it will probably never happen. I don't know who owns the rights to those novels, or what it would take for a production company to buy the rights to make it into a film.

Still, Saga of Old City, man! Greyhawk Adventures! Gord the Rogue!

 

[The Little Raven]

Thoughts/other ideas?

Eberron. Any other D&D movie would just be a poor little brother to LotR (kinda like Eragon was), since it would follow the pseudo-Medieval style.

 

[Kzach]

D&D should go back to its roots. I cut my gaming teeth on Gygax's early books, and to me they still embody the essence of D&D. Sexy elves, brutal violence, and big ursine animal companions for bald druids named Curly.

No.

Have a script writer/director/producer who actually has some past experience with making good films?

Yes.

 

[boredgremlin]

I would start by being willing to fork out the money to actually get decent writers and actors. Maybe pair Salvatore or Hicks or another one of the writers whose done some good D&D novels with an experienced screenplay writer. And be willing to let them go a little darker with no goofyness or D&Disms. Basically make it a fantasy adventure movie but not neccesarily a D&D movie to the casual observer. So like someone said up above, no "i cast this" or other things are obvious game rules stuck into the movie.

More then anything it seemed like the last ones suffered from bad actors and too much cheesy filling though. Fixing those would probably make a huge difference, maybe enough of a difference to actually get a theatrical release instead of a made for TV one like last time.

 

[Hand of Evil]

1) Introduction to World...
Start with the end of the world, dragon's attacking and destroying cities left and right. People flee to dwarven holds, to hidden forest cites of the elves.

People coming back out to the world, slowly expanding and forming city states, trade routes.


2) Introduction to Characters...
Find character (cleric or wizard type) leaving class to meet friends at the local inn, where fight breaks out and they are introduced to other characters who they becaome friends with, because of common foe...the city watch!

3) Introduction to Adventure
Characters dicusses a lost city and have map. Off they go to explore the dungeon. Basic Indiana Jones stuff with undead and big bad.

The End