Sweatpea Entertainment suing WotC over film.

[Scrivener of Doom]

So why haven't they?!!

Actually, the judge involved may ask exactly the same question.

I suspect he or she will look at the half-arsed way that the option, contract and contract amendments were handled, and then the half-arsed way they have avoided doing anything worthwhile with the IP, and feel that in the face of such half-arsedness (yeah, I know it's not a word) then Sweetpea can enjoy the contract that it full-arsedly (also not a word) negotiated in its favour.

Who knows, though? It's a weird legal system so anything could happen.

 

[hopeless]

Dragonlance? More Like Dragon everywhere...

They did make an animated movie. It was not good

Bought it and watched it left wondering why they tried the Bakhsi's Lord of the Rings style except Bakhsi did it better with live acting involved!

Once upon a time in the early days of the original red box set of dungeons and dragons some brave souls set out to show how this could be done in the 80's and thus the Dungeons and Dragons animated series was born!

Even Penny Arcade web comics are better than that mix mash of animated styles and lets be honest politically correct their antics may not be with Acquisitions Incorporated but I wouldn't mind them having Chris Perkins play the dm in a Gamers style animatic!!!

Seriously though the main problem I had with the three d&d movies so far is that the first needed Chris perkins in charge of what you can do with d&d monsters (beholder I'm looking at you!), the second was perfectly fine and should have been expanded upon since by and large they had a great cast and showed how it could be done properly... the third however I still can't watch all the way through there is a reason why 4th edition doesn't work!

You want the Book of Vile Darkness then make it about the artefact not about some half thought out backstory where paladins aren't paladins and would be aspirants to the role apparently have to prove their paladinnic status before being able to take their first level...

Admittedly I can think of a couple of Paladin players who that should apply to but not in a movie!

Sorry but they're arguing about producing rival movies, WOTC take this ooportunity to actually make a new animated series since Sweetpea certainly aren't!

This is almost as bad as those rivaling movies on the same subject... Mission to Mars was initially better than Red Planet save for the ending, Armageddon trounced Deep Impact because whilst DI showed the planetside reaction to the impending collision everyone was too busy watching a certain aspiring Batman actor save the world with the aid of a Russian Cosmonaut and the man who would later show how a live action version of the Kingpin could be done properly!

(And now lets spend a few moments in reflection of that notable's passing... he is missed.)

 

[jasper]

Or instead of rivals, the companies could get together and do a movie. "The Towering Inferno" from the 70s is great example. It combine the movies based on the books "The Glass inferno" and "The Tower".

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Or instead of rivals, the companies could get together and do a movie. "The Towering Inferno" from the 70s is great example. It combine the movies based on the books "The Glass inferno" and "The Tower".

... which would require a partnership or joint venture agreement be negotiated between the two parties and they would end up back in court....

 

[hopeless]

A Close Encounter of the Faerun Kind...

Or instead of rivals, the companies could get together and do a movie. "The Towering Inferno" from the 70s is great example. It combine the movies based on the books "The Glass inferno" and "The Tower".

I like this idea implausible given one has the cookie jar and the other is desperately trying to get it back even though their mother sold it to Sweetpea for a song but they're not listening!

Or WOTC could lend Sweetpea the services of Chris Perkins and Ed Greenwood so they could have Ed play the part of a wizard similar to a certain Faerun Sage but couldn't possibly be him and Chris could run them all through the adventure adding his unique perspective so when they do get as far as filming they'll avoid the mistakes of the previous movies and keep the bits that worked (ie the second movie had some good actors/actresses involved and there's always room for more female barbarians!).

 

[Zireael]

I wonder how much money will be eaten up by the lawsuits that could have gone to a better D&D movie by somebody, anybody . . .

That's a very good question.

 

[pemerton]

That's a very good question.

As someone said upthread, I don't think the cost of the litigation will have much of an impact on the movie budget. The litigation, as I understand it, is (i) about Hasbro trying to make good on its deal with Universal, and (ii) about Hasbro more generally trying to reclaim control over its IP. How much are Hasbro paying per day for the litigation? $1 million is not all that significant from a movie budget point of view, and will get you 100 days of litigation at $10,000 a day.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I was struck by this odd concordance of news stories. Sweet pea has been busy: Jacoby Jones Reportedly Injured By Stripper Named Sweet Pea, Agent Says Ravens WR Is 'Fine'