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.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

my brother, who has never played D&D

You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

 

[Oofta]

Goliaths are much more unique to D&D than elves are, yes. I didn't respond to it because I was responding to a different topic which you seemed to want to flee from.

Me: "Hats are not baseball"
You: "BASEBALL BATS aren't baseball!?"

You are the one that claims the show is not depicting D&D. I'm not running from anything, you're dodging like a pro. All the depictions of the classes, the races, the monsters are shown as those depicted by D&D and is unique and different from, for example, LotR. Yet somehow it's just ... generic fantasy because they depict trees.

 

[Incenjucar]

You are the one that claims the show is not depicting D&D. I'm not running from anything, you're dodging like a pro. All the depictions of the classes, the races, the monsters are shown as those depicted by D&D and is unique and different from, for example, LotR. Yet somehow it's just ... generic fantasy because they depict trees.

Okay. If that's what you think I was saying I can't do much.

 

[Oofta]

Okay. If that's what you think I was saying I can't do much.

This started with me asking what it was you were trying to say. As far as I can tell it's "If anything depicted is not unique to D&D then it's generic fantasy". Then you accuse me of ... something. I'm not sure what.

The Legend of Vox Machina very much depicts a D&D game from monsters to races to character classes to spells used to the interaction of the characters. I don't know how it could be more D&D.

 

[Incenjucar]

This started with me asking what it was you were trying to say. As far as I can tell it's "If anything depicted is not unique to D&D then it's generic fantasy". Then you accuse me of ... something. I'm not sure what.

The Legend of Vox Machina very much depicts a D&D game from monsters to races to character classes to spells used to the interaction of the characters. I don't know how it could be more D&D.

I suspect you were trying to imply what you should have been direct about. shrug Let's move on, yeah?

 

[Oofta]

I suspect you were trying to imply what you should have been direct about. shrug Let's move on, yeah?

I was simply asking for clarification. Based on what you've stated, I don't see any way that any show or movie could be judged to be based on D&D, I was simply trying to understand why that is when all you can do is come back with "elves are not unique to D&D."

I mean, D&D is kind of generic fantasy world with specific classes, races, spells and monsters. All of which The Legend of Vox Machina depict repeatedly and in a way that would not fit most other systems.

 

[Incenjucar]

The D&D I grew up with was as much Athas as it was Toril. The unifying elements were the way the world worked, not the setting elements which worked equally well using any set of rules. D&D is halfling cannibals and elves that run fast. Oh, and kender.

 

[Oofta]

The D&D I grew up with was as much Athas as it was Toril. The unifying elements were the way the world worked, not the setting elements which worked equally well using any set of rules. D&D is halfling cannibals and elves that run fast. Oh, and kender.

That's a very narrow view of D&D and not a recognizable one to most D&D players. Even for those that were around when Dark Sun and Dragonlance were a thing, it's not really very representative of D&D.

 

[Incenjucar]

That's a very narrow view of D&D and not a recognizable one to most D&D players. Even for those that were around when Dark Sun and Dragonlance were a thing, it's not really very representative of D&D.

I suppose a lot of people only know 1/5th of the history of the game.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I think this view is ironically more prevelant with older folks, then younger. I've seen no actual evidence that young folks reject DL as a whole or its story.

No what happened that killed it is that they bungled the first two products for it in 5e (besides the novels which I believe sold well).

It really goes to how deeply flawed Jeremy Crawford's philosphy on setting products really is. They need to be immersive, they need to have substance, not just be pretty to look at and miniumalist, they need depth. And experimental rules like board game and Spelljammer should have had playtesting.

And its his failed approach to setting products that killed Dragonlance, outside of novels and dmsguild.

Seriously make Jeremy stick to what he does best, setting neutral player options for stuff like the new PHB. Or even adventures or adventure anthologies. Just keep him away from setting product before he kills let another setting's potential.

I absolutely blame Jeremy for this.

Jezza knows the truth, mate.