D&D Movie/TV New D&D Movie: July 23rd 2021

It's official - the new Dungeons & Dragons movie is coming, and it's coming in four years - July 23rd, 2021, as announced by Paramount.

We already know that the movie will be produced by the Lego Movie's Roy Lee, that it will be directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Monsters vs. Aliens, Shark Tale). Originally scripted by David Leslie Johnson (Wrath of the Titans), it's now being written by Joe Manganelio, might be Dragonlance and then again might feature the Yawning Portal, and will adopt a Guardians of the Galaxy tone. Oh, and that we should take everything I just said with a pinch of salt as the movie appears have jumped from WB to Paramount at some point in the process!

 

[gyor]

Interesting tidbit: big budget movies seem to be getting worse over time.

Not that it has much relevance to a movie that won't be released for years, but the gist of the article is that big budget movies are pretty bad. And Michael Bay movies, even though they are awful, make a lot of money.

I think many snub Michael Bay for ideological reasons, not based on the quality of his movies, which are almost always fun movies. MB is unashamedly, pro American, doesn't mind having unapologetic sex appeal and fun action.

Of course some people also dislike transformers having humans, in their robot movie.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Even the Chronicles of Narnia, which at the least got off the ground, floundered halfway through the series.

That is because the first two were done by Disney and then the third one was done by another company after they acquired the rights to the series. I think the newest one being made is being done by that company too.

 

[Oofta]

I think many snub Michael Bay for ideological reasons, not based on the quality of his movies, which are almost always fun movies. MB is unashamedly, pro American, doesn't mind having unapologetic sex appeal and fun action.

Of course some people also dislike transformers having humans, in their robot movie.

I will say this for Mr Bay, he embraces the inherent goofiness of a movie about giant robots. Along the same lines, if a D&D movie tries to be too serious I think it will fail. Everybody wants to recreate the next LOTR or Christopher Nolan's Batman movies but I think that's highly unlikely. I'd rather see a fun movie that let's me turn my brain off for a little bit and just sit back and enjoy some popcorn.

But we'll see. It's a long way off and the alien robot AI zombie apocalypse may well take us all out before then anyway.

 

[robus]

Interesting tidbit: big budget movies seem to be getting worse over time.

Not that it has much relevance to a movie that won't be released for years, but the gist of the article is that big budget movies are pretty bad. And Michael Bay movies, even though they are awful, make a lot of money.

Well there is also the factor that a lot more "big budget" movies are being made (thus more chance for terrible ones ) and the growing international market seems to pay to watch them regardless of the quality (subtitles and overdubs may help to paper over the lackluster script?)

As for why so many are bad I think that too many are designed by committee. There's no real artistic push to make these things. They're economic engines (and the franchises, like Transformers, are economic engines on steroids!).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I, for one, think you could do an entirely serious- or at least, minimally/darkly humorous* D&D movie. A script centered around a cross-dimensional incursion by Githyanki, an accidental opening of a portal to one of the nether realms, or a simple fight against undead or aberrations could be solid, serious movie fare and 100% D&D.

Wizard to Fighter: "What are we talking about here?"
Fighter to Wizard: "I say you use your Staff of Meteor Swarm on the village from the sky. It's the only way to be sure!"






* intentionally. As in, not funny by accident, like the first one.

 

[Parmandur]

I, for one, think you could do an entirely serious- or at least, minimally/darkly humorous* D&D movie. A script centered around a cross-dimensional incursion by Githyanki, an accidental opening of a portal to one of the nether realms, or a simple fight against undead or aberrations could be solid, serious movie fare and 100% D&D.

Wizard to Fighter: "What are we talking about here?"
Fighter to Wizard: "I say you use your Staff of Meteor Swarm on the village from the sky. It's the only way to be sure!"






* intentionally. As in, not funny by accident, like the first one.

I mean, I suppose one could go that route, but why? The Guardians of the Galaxy style zaniness would, primarily, make more money, and also be more true to the origins of the game. Gygaxian humor is what I would want to see.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[Dausuul]

I think many snub Michael Bay for ideological reasons, not based on the quality of his movies, which are almost always fun movies. MB is unashamedly, pro American, doesn't mind having unapologetic sex appeal and fun action.

Nope. Ideology has nothing to do with it. I snub Michael Bay because his movies manage to be both frantic and boring. They're like having somebody shouting at you in Swahili for two hours, in a room full of flashing neon lights.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Not everyone gets/enjoys Gygaxian humor. I mean, I do, but there’s something to be said for casting a wider net. My concern is that too strong an appeal towards D&D’s goofier side would fall flat because there would be too many in jokes. Sure, WE’D laugh, but the broader audience- and make no mistake, you NEED that broader audience to get anything resembling a profit- might be left wondering what’s with all the giggling.

Besides, I didn’t suggest eliminating humor, just making the film play things more straight up. After all, Die Hard had humor. Predator had humor. Aliens had humor.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Actually the Hobbit came out first as a book, it was an attempt by the author, JRR Tolkien to write a new "fairy tale". Originally it was meant as a stand alone book, after the success of that book, Tolkien decided to write Lord of the Rings, when he did so, he also rewrote portions of the Hobbit so that it would fit in with the Lord of the Rings. Originally the One Ring was simply a ring of invisibility and nothing more than that. It was a nifty thing for a Hobbit to possess.

http://www.tolkien.cro.net/tolkien/changes.html

I do know all that. I was basically talking about the movies.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I think many snub Michael Bay for ideological reasons, not based on the quality of his movies, which are almost always fun movies. MB is unashamedly, pro American, doesn't mind having unapologetic sex appeal and fun action.

Of course some people also dislike transformers having humans, in their robot movie.

Michael Bay movies may make money, but D&D needs to be a good movie that reaches out to a new audience. Having a Michael Bay movie would merely reinforce the worst possible prejudices against D&D being just for adolescent boys with no aesthetic sensibilities whatsoever. It would lose a wider market, regardless of the people who may go and see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0d6G1X278s

You can make a good movie that is fun and spectacular, without ignoring aspects of characterisation, relationships and plot. Guardians of the Galaxy works on several levels, which is much of it's appeal. We don't want something like Guy Richie's King Arthur (or 'Arffurr' as it was) - Sherlock Holmes (with Robert Downey Junior) worked though, because it had a good script, a decent villain and a compelling relationship between the protagonists. That is the sort of thing people should be thinking about - and it's not the sort of thing that Michael Bay ever thinks about.