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!

 

[robus]

Just thinking about this project and I do think that it would benefit from a narrator, acting as the voice of the DM, but also letting the audience know that this is a fable, introducing the characters in a manner that humanizes them and situates the viewer in the story so far...

 

[Chuck Ocenasek]

I will admit I have not fully read through this thread, but if you want a good template for a D&D movie look at the Fast and Furious movies. You have a multi racial/ gender team with different skills having large action set pieces (encounters ) with over the top action.

 

[Thomas Bowman]

I thought Jackson's King Kong was paced just right. I also never bought into the the drow as elves with skin the colour of black paint. They have always been dark grey to me, and I think dark grey goes far better with white hair and purple raiments than does pure black.

In any case, I do kind of think that if you want to do a D&D movie right one of the places you do not skimp under any circumstances is in hiring the best costume designer you can find, period. Costumes are not supposed to be just faux medieval, but they have to have both familiarity and their own style.

I have mentioned before in these discussions that I think Forgotten Realms is one of those places where it actually might make sense to go with the old "human from Earth crosses over into a fantasy setting" trope since that is literally what the "forgotten" in "Forgotten Realms" stands for. Ahem.

Have a protagonist who is a journalist in our world and crosses over. One of the first plot points is that her camera (or cell phone) breaks so that it is immediately apparent that if she finds her way back there will be no photo or video evidence of her claims. This gives the plot an allegorical basis on which you can then build out what is fantastic, mysterious, and sinister about the world. Probably do not borrow too much style or tone from Blade Runner 2049, but keep that movie in mind as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok. Because you will never, ever, get a magical world right if you think only in terms of "What is the plot line I want to film?" and not "What is the cinematic experience I want to deliver?"

Is there going to be a little gnome like character called "Dungeon Master?"

Would you want a movie about them?
Why a journalist anyway?
If the journalist is smart, he could make a camera with available equipment in the Forgotten Realms, you just need to know something about photochemical reactions, and how to make paper, film, and a box with a hole in it.

Are you familiar with these books?

I am going to be real interested to see what happens with Jumanji, because regardless if that movie is good or bad I think it will offer at least a lesson or two for a future D&D film. I mean, Christ, in the trailer they literally talk about each character like they have a character class. Which would be really bad to do explicitly in a D&D movie but it does mean you can look at those characters and pretend they are playing d20 Modern or something.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

All this may be true, but Michael Bay movies still suck however, which is not something I'd want for any potential future D&D movie....

Movies Michael Bay directed before he started on the Transformers franchise: Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, The Island. So everything he has directed sucks? He has also produced, though not directed, a bunch of horror movies.

Basically, if he is the director, is he doing it Transformers-style or his older style?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Movies Michael Bay directed before he started on the Transformers franchise: Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, The Island. So everything he has directed sucks? He has also produced, though not directed, a bunch of horror movies.

Basically, if he is the director, is he doing it Transformers-style or his older style?

Personally, there’s only one movie on that list I liked.

 

[Azzy]

Movies Michael Bay directed before he started on the Transformers franchise: Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, The Island. So everything he has directed sucks? He has also produced, though not directed, a bunch of horror movies.

Basically, if he is the director, is he doing it Transformers-style or his older style?

I enjoyed the Rock, but it wasn't really a good movie. Didn't watch Bad Boys, but the rest were crap.

 

[Azzy]

The million/billions ? of people who watch his movies apparently have a different opinion.

Ah, argumentum ad populum... Millions of people do cocaine, too. Doesn't make any less stupid.

 

[Mirtek]

Ah, argumentum ad populum... Millions of people do cocaine, too. Doesn't make any less stupid.

Actually it does, since we are speaking of a pure enterntaiment without any other side effects. So there is only one criteria and that is taste. There are no side effects that are different between spending 2h to watch The Godfather, Citzen Kane or Michael Bay's Transformers unlike between taking cocaine or eating vegetables instead.

With other words: Eat , millions of flies can't be wrong is actually correct if you are fly 1,000,001. The other flies know in fact what is good for a fly and if you don't then you'll be likely to starve.

 

[Azzy]

Actually it does, since we are speaking of a pure enterntaiment without any other side effects. So there is only one criteria and that is taste. There are no side effects that are different between spending 2h to watch The Godfather, Citzen Kane or Michael Bay's Transformers unlike between taking cocaine or eating vegetables instead.

With other words: Eat , millions of flies can't be wrong is actually correct if you are fly 1,000,001. The other flies know in fact what is good for a fly and if you don't then you'll be likely to starve.

Then you can go listen to Miley Cyrus (or whatever the newest manufactured pop sensation is), and I can continue listening to better things.

 

[TrippyHippy]

You're entitled to your opinion. Thanks for sharing it?

The million/billions ? of people who watch his movies apparently have a different opinion.

But, I've spent way more time than I care on this portion of the topic.

You cannot account for the tastes of audiences that watch them, however - and you cannot account for the millions/billions ? of people who openly think he is the worst moviemaker in the world today.

His name is actually a by-word for crass, artless, noisy and commercialised direction. The D&D brand would be damaged in the association of a movie-maker that carries such animus, and unlike the Transformers brand (which merely needs to make big screen toy adverts), they have actually got to get the general public onside for any future D&D film because of the baggage and negative associations it already has. The D&D brand has to convince the wider market that it's actually a creative, narrative pastime for all ages and genders, and not just something that would appeal to 14 year old boys.