D&D Movie/TV Spider-Man: Homecoming Writers Talk D&D Movie

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley talked to Hollywood Reporter about the D&D movie, it's comedic themes, and how the directors are working directly with WotC.

They directed Game Night, and wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming. They mentioned that they had been supposed to fly here to the UK to scout locations in March, but the pandemic interrupted that.

They also mentioned comedic elements and characters in the movie, which currently has a projected release date of May 27th, 2022. No actors are yet cast.

It's not an out and out comedy, but it is an action-fantasy movie with a lot of comedic elements and characters we hope people will really get into and enjoy watching their adventures.

Daley plays a weekly D&D game, so he is familiar with the genre. But the pair are working directly with WotC.

We haven't been accosted by players yet, but we are working with the Wizards of the Coast, the brand holders of D&D. They are the experts. We have people there that we work with and it's pretty helpful, because as much as we know about D&D, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the 45 years of lore that's out there, so these guys are such a resource. If we need a particular spell that a [high]-level wizard could do, they could give us a list. It's a lot of fun.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Have you tried to watch the new Dolittle movie with Robert Downey Jr? It is set in the late 1800's, yet all the animals use language and slang and such from present day. I did not even get half way through the movie before that made me turn the bluray off.

Bad movie is bad.

And if they did use authentic 19th century English, you wouldn't be able to understand them at all.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

And if they did use authentic 19th century English, you wouldn't be able to understand them at all.

Recording of authentic 19th-Century English:


English does get eventually unintelligible as you go back, of course. Since this thread is about a quasi-medieval fantasy movie, it may be worth noting that medieval English would not be easy going. But the language in its 19th-Century form is perfectly accessible to a modern listener.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

You should remember some official D&D characters could be in a comedy, for example Volo or the famous Xanathar the mad beholder. Even horror movies sometimes can add some pieces of humor to cause more pain when the characters are killed.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Recording of authentic 19th-Century English:


English does get eventually unintelligible as you go back, of course. Since this thread is about a quasi-medieval fantasy movie, it may be worth noting that medieval English would not be easy going. But the language in its 19th-Century form is perfectly accessible to a modern listener.

That's an educated American speaking, not a West Country English Doctor. And working class people from North East England and from London couldn't understand each other.

In the books a couple of characters (one human, one animal) are explicitly "cockney".

 

[Perun]

M.A.S.K.!!!

::gurgle::

:: (manly) squeal::

I didn't know that was in the works. M.A.S.K. was probably my No. 1 favourite cartoon series when I was a kid (occasionally, that place was contended by Transformers and Masters of the Universe). Oh, man, I can't wait...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Anyway, for those who think it's the end of civilisation if an American accent finds it's way into fantasyland, I would just like to point out that they mention scouting for locations in the UK. UK filming means hiring British extras, so the common people of Faerun will probably have British accents. You can stop panicking now.

 

[Morrus]

And if they did use authentic 19th century English, you wouldn't be able to understand them at all.

They don't have to use old versions of English. They managed fine with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. It's not a binary choice between medieval English and modern day slang.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

They don't have to use old versions of English. They managed fine with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. It's not a binary choice between medieval English and modern day slang.

No, it seems to be a binary choice between modern English English (as heard in Game of Thrones) and modern American English (as heard in Star Trek).

 

[Morrus]

No, it seems to be a binary choice between modern English English (as heard in Game of Thrones) and modern American English (as heard in Star Trek).

The words I used were “modern day slang”, not “modern English”, referring specifically to the comment on modern day slang vs 19th century English you were replying to in post #41.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The words I used were “modern day slang”, not “modern English”, referring specifically to the comment on modern day slang you were replying to in post #41.

The implication was that it would not be possible for fantasy characters to speak modern American English without using modern day slang.

But it's fine for them to use English English slang (see GoT Wildlings), since the largely American audience would not know it was slang.