Pitch me your ulitmate D&D movie

[Frostmarrow]

Pretenders to the Throne

Pretenders to the Throne
Director: Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, House MD)
In a frame story a party of veteran adventurers and some not-to-be-trusted lords and officers are involved in negotiations on who will become king. The last king died in the very last battle even though the war became a glorious victory for him. The adventurers are called upon to be character witnesess for the pretenders and tell tales of their actions during the last war. In flashbacks the pretenders and adventurers are involved in various adventures and revealing talks. Twist: One of the pretenders/adventurers is planning a coup d'etat.
Writer: Christopher Nolan (The Prestige)
Cast: Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) and John Malcovich (Ripley's Game).
Format: Live, murky castle corridors and great outdoor battles.
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens, Terminator 2, Aeon Flux).
Effects house: ILM, crispier and less dirt.

 

[Sketchpad]

Pretty good.

I like the tags.

Thank You If I only knew more about pitches and how to get them to movies, I'd be tempted to pitch a few more detailed ideas about the above

 

[Li Shenron]

Director

Peter Jackson

Storyline

Heroes of a fantasy world protest after the death of a comrade, and summon their "users" to switch places.

Writer

Steve Moffat (BBC writer, Coupling TV series)

Cast

Woody Allen (user of the wizard)
Gerard Depardieu (user of the fighter)
John Malkovich (user of the cleric)
Uma Thurman (user of the ninja-rogue-assassin-frenziedberserker)
Scarlet Johansson (just because they don't make a movie without her these days, but she'll play the dead comrade anyway)

Format (eg live action vs CGI)

Live

Producer

TBD

Effects house (eg ILM vs WETA)

No particular effects, just real blood

Studio

Hollywood studios and disneyworld

Budget

You make this calculation

 

[dougmander]

Pixar Studios presents Lords of the Basement
Animated, 100 minutes
Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2)
Writers: Stephen Colbert (Strangers with Candy) and Steve Carrell (The 40-year-old Virgin) with additional story by Brad Bird and Dougmander (hey it's my fantasy)
Producer: Brad Bird (proven track record delivering animated comedy-action films with an ensemble cast)
Visual Effects by Pixar
Production Budget: $95,000,000 (compare to The Incredibles)
Prints and Advertising Budget: $55,000,000
PBOR: $150,000,000 US, $200,000,000 overseas (a modest profit for a film of this scale, slightly lower than The Incredibles, its nearest analogue)

Story: As teenagers, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa dreamed of a life of adventure that would rival the marathon D&D games they played in Chuck's basement. Through years of job changes, marriages, kids, and divorce, their games never stopped, as Hudson's paladin, Hammer; Julian's wizard, Nuke; Tessa's rogue, Shade (and Chuck's over-the-top DMPC multiclass bard-sorcerer, Epic) grew to become the heroes that their real-life counterparts never did, battling the minions of the evil Baron Void, Chuck's most sinister NPC villain. Chuck owns a FLGS; Hudson's a traffic cop; Julian works in a bookstore; and Tessa is a stay-at-home mom. But with his 40th birthday approaching, Chuck decides it's time to grow up, move out of his mom's basement, and sell his store. Game over!
Or is it? Not if their characters have any say in the matter. Hammer, Nuke, Shade, and Epic find themselves powerless without players to believe in them and soon their world is threatened with annihilation by Baron Void! They set off for the real world to find their Players and convince them to come back to the game table one last time. Chaos ensues as the four heroes wrestle with the perils of surburbia in a quest to find their Players. At last, united with their characters, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa experience a thrilling adventure in Chuck's world, first-hand, discovering reserves of courage and friendship they had long forgotten. His world saved (once again) from Baron Void, Chuck returns to the gaming table, and all four friends use their new-found courage to rescue their real lives from the doldrums (Chuck goes back to community college, Hudson applies for a position as a beat cop, Julian sends his fantasy novel to a publisher, and Tessa goes back to her first love, painting, finally overcoming her artist's block).

Cast (Voices):
Chuck/Epic: Stephen Colbert
Hudson/Hammer: Omar Epps
Julian/Nuke: Ira Glass
Tessa/Shade: Katey Sagal
Chuck's Mom: Carol Burnett
Chuck's Dad: Gary Gygax
Baron Void: Tim Curry

 

[Scott_Rouse]

Pixar Studios presents Lords of the Basement
Animated, 100 minutes
Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2)
Writers: Stephen Colbert (Strangers with Candy) and Steve Carrell (The 40-year-old Virgin) with additional story by Brad Bird
Producer: Brad Bird (proven track record delivering animated comedy-action films with an ensemble cast)
Visual Effects by Pixar
Production Budget: $95,000,000 (compare to The Incredibles)
Prints and Advertising Budget: $55,000,000
PBOR: $150,000,000 US, $200,000,000 overseas (a modest profit for a film of this scale, slightly lower than The Incredibles, its nearest analogue)

Story: As teenagers, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa dreamed of a life of adventure that would rival the marathon D&D games they played in Chuck's basement. Through years of job changes, marriages, kids, and divorce, their games never stopped, as Hudson's paladin, Hammer; Julian's wizard, Nuke; Tessa's rogue, Shade (and Chuck's over-the-top DMPC multiclass bard-sorcerer, Epic) grew to become the heroes that their real-life counterparts never did, battling the minions of the evil Baron Void, Chuck's most sinister NPC villain. Chuck owns a FLGS; Hudson's a traffic cop; Julian works in a bookstore; and Tessa is a stay-at-home mom. But with his 40th birthday approaching, Chuck decides it's time to grow up, move out of his mom's basement, and sell his store. Game over!
Or is it? Not if their characters have any say in the matter. Hammer, Nuke, Shade, and Epic find themselves powerless without players to believe in them and soon their world is threatened with annihilation by Baron Void! They set off for the real world to find their Players and convince them to come back to the game table one last time. Chaos ensues as the four heroes wrestle with the perils of surburbia in a quest to find their Players. At last, united with their characters, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa experience a thrilling adventure in Chuck's world, first-hand, discovering reserves of courage and friendship they had long forgotten. His world saved (once again) from Baron Void, Chuck returns to the gaming table, and all four friends use their new-found courage to rescue their real lives from the doldrums (Chuck goes back to community college, Hudson applies for a position as a beat cop, Julian sends his fantasy novel to a publisher, and Tessa goes back to her first love, painting, finally overcoming her artist's block).

Cast (Voices):
Chuck: Stephen Colbert
Hudson: Omar Epps
Julian: Ira Glass
Tessa: Katey Sagal
Chuck's Mom: Carol Burnett
Chuck's Dad: Gary Gygax
Baron Void: Tim Curry

Awesome!

 

[Catavarie]

Pixar Studios presents Lords of the Basement
Animated, 100 minutes
Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2)
Writers: Stephen Colbert (Strangers with Candy) and Steve Carrell (The 40-year-old Virgin) with additional story by Brad Bird
Producer: Brad Bird (proven track record delivering animated comedy-action films with an ensemble cast)
Visual Effects by Pixar
Production Budget: $95,000,000 (compare to The Incredibles)
Prints and Advertising Budget: $55,000,000
PBOR: $150,000,000 US, $200,000,000 overseas (a modest profit for a film of this scale, slightly lower than The Incredibles, its nearest analogue)

Story: As teenagers, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa dreamed of a life of adventure that would rival the marathon D&D games they played in Chuck's basement. Through years of job changes, marriages, kids, and divorce, their games never stopped, as Hudson's paladin, Hammer; Julian's wizard, Nuke; Tessa's rogue, Shade (and Chuck's over-the-top DMPC multiclass bard-sorcerer, Epic) grew to become the heroes that their real-life counterparts never did, battling the minions of the evil Baron Void, Chuck's most sinister NPC villain. Chuck owns a FLGS; Hudson's a traffic cop; Julian works in a bookstore; and Tessa is a stay-at-home mom. But with his 40th birthday approaching, Chuck decides it's time to grow up, move out of his mom's basement, and sell his store. Game over!
Or is it? Not if their characters have any say in the matter. Hammer, Nuke, Shade, and Epic find themselves powerless without players to believe in them and soon their world is threatened with annihilation by Baron Void! They set off for the real world to find their Players and convince them to come back to the game table one last time. Chaos ensues as the four heroes wrestle with the perils of surburbia in a quest to find their Players. At last, united with their characters, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa experience a thrilling adventure in Chuck's world, first-hand, discovering reserves of courage and friendship they had long forgotten. His world saved (once again) from Baron Void, Chuck returns to the gaming table, and all four friends use their new-found courage to rescue their real lives from the doldrums (Chuck goes back to community college, Hudson applies for a position as a beat cop, Julian sends his fantasy novel to a publisher, and Tessa goes back to her first love, painting, finally overcoming her artist's block).

Cast (Voices):
Chuck: Stephen Colbert
Hudson: Omar Epps
Julian: Ira Glass
Tessa: Katey Sagal
Chuck's Mom: Carol Burnett
Chuck's Dad: Gary Gygax
Baron Void: Tim Curry

When does it hit theaters? I'm ready to see it already.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Pixar Studios presents Lords of the Basement
Animated, 100 minutes
Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2)
Writers: Stephen Colbert (Strangers with Candy) and Steve Carrell (The 40-year-old Virgin) with additional story by Brad Bird
Producer: Brad Bird (proven track record delivering animated comedy-action films with an ensemble cast)
Visual Effects by Pixar
Production Budget: $95,000,000 (compare to The Incredibles)
Prints and Advertising Budget: $55,000,000
PBOR: $150,000,000 US, $200,000,000 overseas (a modest profit for a film of this scale, slightly lower than The Incredibles, its nearest analogue)

Story: As teenagers, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa dreamed of a life of adventure that would rival the marathon D&D games they played in Chuck's basement. Through years of job changes, marriages, kids, and divorce, their games never stopped, as Hudson's paladin, Hammer; Julian's wizard, Nuke; Tessa's rogue, Shade (and Chuck's over-the-top DMPC multiclass bard-sorcerer, Epic) grew to become the heroes that their real-life counterparts never did, battling the minions of the evil Baron Void, Chuck's most sinister NPC villain. Chuck owns a FLGS; Hudson's a traffic cop; Julian works in a bookstore; and Tessa is a stay-at-home mom. But with his 40th birthday approaching, Chuck decides it's time to grow up, move out of his mom's basement, and sell his store. Game over!
Or is it? Not if their characters have any say in the matter. Hammer, Nuke, Shade, and Epic find themselves powerless without players to believe in them and soon their world is threatened with annihilation by Baron Void! They set off for the real world to find their Players and convince them to come back to the game table one last time. Chaos ensues as the four heroes wrestle with the perils of surburbia in a quest to find their Players. At last, united with their characters, Chuck, Hudson, Julian, and Tessa experience a thrilling adventure in Chuck's world, first-hand, discovering reserves of courage and friendship they had long forgotten. His world saved (once again) from Baron Void, Chuck returns to the gaming table, and all four friends use their new-found courage to rescue their real lives from the doldrums (Chuck goes back to community college, Hudson applies for a position as a beat cop, Julian sends his fantasy novel to a publisher, and Tessa goes back to her first love, painting, finally overcoming her artist's block).

Cast (Voices):
Chuck: Stephen Colbert
Hudson: Omar Epps
Julian: Ira Glass
Tessa: Katey Sagal
Chuck's Mom: Carol Burnett
Chuck's Dad: Gary Gygax
Baron Void: Tim Curry

Winnah!!!

Of all of the pitches listed, this is the only one that I would plunk down money to actually watch. Excellent.

P.S - D00d, you must write this.

 

[hewligan]

Pixar Studios presents Lords of the Basement
.....

God this could be good. I can almost imagine Pixar-eque scenes with the poor stay-at-home mother having her kids finally exclaim "wow, Mom, you actually kick ass!", and through the movie also gains their respect, as well as her own.

You could imagine through the movie her dropping her kids off at school in a really old beaten up motor, much to their disdain and her embarrassment against the shiny SUVs of the other mothers, and then a scene at the end where she gets to drop her kids off at school on a dragon mount to the shock and awe of all as a "one last favour" from her fantasy characters.

 

[Festivus]

Note to those who are not currently in the groove with Cartoon Network: During Adult Swim -- evenings after 11pm -- Cartoon Network is consistently the ratings leader in cable television. WotC, if you are at all thinking of bringing the D&D license to TV or movies, Adult Swim is the place you need to be.

I got hooked on Adult Swim when they started putting Family Guy on it. Now, I can't live without things like Saul and the Molemen, Venture Bros, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and many many others. My wife actually watches Robot Chicken with me and thinks it's a hoot, and that is saying something for it's mass appeal given she usually likes those stuffy english romance dramas.

 

[dougmander]

Winnah!!!

Of all of the pitches listed, this is the only one that I would plunk down money to actually watch. Excellent.

P.S - D00d, you must write this.

Thanks, I've been filming it in my head all morning!

Scott, call me, baby, we'll do lunch. My people will talk to your people. Seriously, send me a PM.