D&D Movie/TV Update on D&D TV Show -- Underdark, Small, 6-10 Episodes

Writer Derek Kolstad (John Wick) has shared an insight into the upcoming D&D TV show with Collider, which he says will be 6-10 serialized episodes with an Underdark element.

His approach is a "tinier sliver" of the world, compared to epic stories like Lord of the Rings. He compares it to Star Wars and Jaws. He mentioned that he's like to go "deeper and deeper into the Underdark".

"In the first Star Wars, you heard about Jabba the Hutt and you don't see him until the third one because you earn at that point, and whatever the budget was for the third one compared to the first one, who cares, right? And I think in Dungeons and Dragons, who has this massive, dedicated community of acolytes, I don't want to suddenly throw everything on screen and say, 'Here's the buffet.' You'd much rather keep the story intimate. When you think of our favorite movies, I'd rather do the First Blood version. It's a guy in the woods being hunted. And it's very small, but you allude to the other things through conversation."

As yet the show is untitled. Kolstad talked a bit about legal meetings and available characters for use. It sounds like he wants to set it towards the end of any 'metaplot' that D&D might have -- "... don't want to go in the middle of the mythos. I want to come near the end where everything is canonical, it's biblical, it's happened. Or, it's about to happen. That way you can revisit certain sequences and storylines that everyone loved in the past through flashback, but where we go is new"

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Well . . . . are the xenomorphs evil? Or just hungry?

I would say the distinction is meaningless. It wants to rip your face off. It doesn't matter why. You either kill it or it kills you.

 

[darjr]

The tv shows release date might get pushed back because the movies was.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The tv shows release date might get pushed back because the movies was.

Yes, I saw that mentioned. I hadn't realised the TV show was so directly tied to the movie.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

And I never said they were. I deliberately avoided using that kind of absolutist language (I am white and have a huge nose). Nevertheless if you have "elfin" features, such as a small, thin, pointed or upturned nose, you have a better chance of being cast as an elf.
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And if you have a small, thin, pointed or upturned nose, there is a good chance you also have a light skin tone. Because that is how genetics works.

No, it isn’t. You...know Asians exist, yeah?

 

[hopeless]

I don't see why it should.
After all its another world so why should it follow traditional systems?
I'd expect where they live would effect what they look like as it would humanity in places like Earth.
Would living underground mean drow are albino along with duergar?

 

[bedir than]

Yes, I saw that mentioned. I hadn't realised the TV show was so directly tied to the movie.

Multiple TV shows are in the works. One is connected to the movie. There's no indication that Kolstad's show is the one.

 

[hopeless]

Any idea how many there are currently?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It would seem to me to be an odd time to delay a TV show, unless you absolutely had to. TV shows are where it's at, entertainment-wise, in particular with the pandemic killing the box-office. It's only increased the dominance of streaming services. If anything, studios should be rushing to produce more TV, even instead of movies.

 

[bedir than]

If anything, studios should be rushing to produce more TV, even instead of movies.

A limited series that leads into a full screen production would make a lot of sense (this is basically how WandaVision Falcon&Winter Soldier are being treated). Use the final (please be true) year of the pandemic to refine and build a property, then celebrate its success with a 2 hour 200M$ production.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

A limited series that leads into a full screen production would make a lot of sense (this is basically how WandaVision Falcon&Winter Soldier are being treated). Use the final (please be true) year of the pandemic to refine and build a property, then celebrate its success with a 2 hour 200M$ production.

Yup. That sounds like a genius plan. Whet everyone's appetites and build the characters so we care about them with the TV show, hit us with the spectacle of a movie timed for when the theatres are back open and we all really, really want to go out and live.