D&D Movie/TV Joe Manganiello: Dragonlance TV Show No Longer In Development

Actor Joe Manganiello has confirmed that the anticipated Dragonlance TV show that he had been working on is no longer being developed. In an interview with ComicBook.com. According to Manganiello, following poor sales of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and the Warriors of Krynn board game last year, "Dragonlance is not a property [WotC] are interested in developing further currently". This decision was also prompted by Hasbro's sale of its media studio, eOne.

In March last year, Manganiello confirmed during an official D&D video update that he was working on a TV show for WotC, and a D&D live action series was greenly by Paramount in January. It's not clear if these are the same property.

Manganiello also talked about his approach to the property, and the new designs he had for the world, the dragons, and even the casting. "I want to make [the show] because I want to see it and I just want to feel that excited and electric about something. The characters...like the casting, I have a look book with over 1,000 pages, but it's not what you expect. The design concepts I had for the world, for the armor, for the swords....I had a fresh take on what the dragons were going to look like, it was going to be nothing like anyone has ever seen."

He has been working on a script for years, and was told by TV executives that his pilot was one of the best fantasy scripts they had ever read. He even offered to buy Dragonlance from WotC.

You can watch the whole interview at the link above.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, this is a real bummer, and it seems that those Dragonlance board games showing up in clearance stores were part of a trial balloon to see if people wanted Dragonlance:

"Manganiello said the planned project was not moving forward due to several issues, including Hasbro's sale of the eOne studio and the poor performance of a Dragonlance D&D adventure and board game in 2022, as reasons why the project was not proceeding."

Dragonlance Live-Action Project Not Moving Forward According to Joe Manganiello

A planned live-action adaptation of the Dragonlance series has been cancelled, according to actor [...]

comicbook.com

 

[Parmandur]

Seems thst he put a lot of energy into the project, and was getting good feedback from film industry people;

"What I had planned for the first season was mind blowing," Manganiello said, speaking about his plans for the series. "I just....I want to make [the Dragonlance show] because I want to see it and I just want to feel that excited and electric about something. The characters...like the casting, I have a look book with over 1,000 pages, but it's not what you expect. The design concepts I had for the world, for the armor, for the swords....I had a fresh take on what the dragons were going to look like, it was going to be nothing like anyone has ever seen...."

"Manganiello said that the script he prepared for a Dragonlance pilot was well-received by those outside of Hasbro and eOne. "The biggest fantasy literary agent in town, he said and these are his words and not mine, that it was the best fantasy pilot he had read since the original Game of Thrones," Manganiello said. "There was another executive that read it and said it was one of the best fantasy scripts he's ever read. I actually got an email just this morning from a producer who said it was awesome and that he wanted to send it to the rest of his company and hopes I develop another fantasy IP." "

"I didn't write a script that was terrible," Manganiello said. "Calls were made to say this is what you should be making, this is what you should be doing, but currently it is to no avail."

 

[MockingBird]

Man that's a bummer! Really hate sales of the adventure and board game were used as "reasons". If it's as good as he is telling us it is, and I have no reason to doubt him, it could have boosted the DL branding. He seemed really passionate about the project and I hate it for him. If I had money I'd throw it at this project, but I'm just a nobody with no money lol.

 

[Parmandur]

Man that's a bummer! Really hate sales of the adventure and board game were used as "reasons". If it's as good as he is telling us it is, and I have no reason to doubt him, it could have boosted the DL branding. He seemed really passionate about the project and I hate it for him. If I had money I'd throw it at this project, but I'm just a nobody with no money lol.

Yeah, I'm not a huge DLfan, UT this could have been special.

It would have taken a big fat bet from a studio & Hasbro, though, huge budget to do right.

 

[jerryrice4949]

Well, this is a real bummer, and it seems that those Dragonlance board games showing up in clearance stores were part of a trial balloon to see if people wanted Dragonlance:

"Manganiello said the planned project was not moving forward due to several issues, including Hasbro's sale of the eOne studio and the poor performance of a Dragonlance D&D adventure and board game in 2022, as reasons why the project was not proceeding."

Dragonlance Live-Action Project Not Moving Forward According to Joe Manganiello

A planned live-action adaptation of the Dragonlance series has been cancelled, according to actor [...]

comicbook.com

I am calling BS on that explanation. I just don’t see any studio or production company basing their decision to move forward with a major tv project on the sales of the DL adventure module and board game.

On a completely separate note, the DL adventure was ok it just suffered from what most the recent releases did, a feeling it was half an idea or product. WoTC has seemed 1/2 in on may of these projects like DL and Spell Jammer even really Fizbans.

 

[Deset Gled]

I am calling BS on that explanation. I just don’t see any studio or production company basing their decision to move forward with a major tv project on the sales of the DL adventure module and board game.

It makes a lot of sense to me, and it's probably the same decision I would make in their shoes.

D&D had lots of settings in it's history. Frankly, too many to justify. Better to focus on ones that the general public responds to. If Dragonlance sales were low, better to move on to the next one.

It's a heck of a lot better method than trying to use "focus groups" or "test audiences" that don't even know D&D, IMNSHO.

 

[Parmandur]

I am calling BS on that explanation. I just don’t see any studio or production company basing their decision to move forward with a major tv project on the sales of the DL adventure module and board game.

On a completely separate note, the DL adventure was ok it just suffered from what most the recent releases did, a feeling it was half an idea or product. WoTC has seemed 1/2 in on may of these projects like DL and Spell Jammer even really Fizbans.

I mean, Manganiello is the one with the inside track in this situation: I don’t think they were about to dump moneybintonthe project right away, but it could have killed their interest in continuing development.

 

[jerryrice4949]

It makes a lot of sense to me, and it's probably the same decision I would make in their shoes.

D&D had lots of settings in it's history. Frankly, too many to justify. Better to focus on ones that the general public responds to. If Dragonlance sales were low, better to move on to the next one.

It's a heck of a lot better method than trying to use "focus groups" or "test audiences" that don't even know D&D, IMNSHO.

The problem with this logic is for a tv show to be successful it has to attract a broad audience so using the sales of the DL adventure as a gauge has no value. The true power of the story is probably better reflected in orginal 3 books that sold millions of copies world wide. That is the story that would be best adapted and sold to audience across the country not anything related to the 5E adventure. To me it would be the equivalent of HBO not doing GoT because a Westeros coloring book sold poorly.

 

[bedir than]

I have to chuckle that he built a 1000 page lore bible for something with that many books already produced