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"

 

[Parmandur]

and rpg video games. Baldur's Gate III is all about mind flayers. Can we just skip the beholders and mind flayers this time around please? Wishful thinking, I know.

Skip the only things that are unique IP? Doubtful.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Ugh. This show isn't going to show the diversity of the game by sticking the entire thing in the Underdark. Hope it does way more than that

It's coming out at the same time, roughly, as a new movie. It doesn't have to carry the whole load alone.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Referring toD&D fans as "acolytes" raises all kinds of red flags for what that writer is going to think we want...

No, not Black Leaf! No, no! I'm going to die!

 

[bedir than]

It's coming out at the same time, roughly, as a new movie. It doesn't have to carry the whole load alone.

They aren't stopping at one project for each format, either.

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Series in the Works With ‘John Wick’ Writer (Exclusive)

Derek Kolstad, the creator and writer behind the John Wick franchise, has been tapped to pen and develop a pitch for a live-action series based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Paramount and eOne are also mounting a feature set to star Chris Pine that is due to lens later this year. And Kolstad isn’t the only scribe working on a D&D series, as eOne is now working with multiple writers to develop various projects set in the fantasy universe.

 

[Scott Christian]

I like the small approach. Much like any long campaign.

 

[Bacon Bits]

No, not Black Leaf! No, no! I'm going to die!

Marcie Whizbang, get out of here. YOU'RE DEAD! You don't exist anymore.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Let's not forget this game is called 'Dungeons & Dragons'. So to have at least some part of it set in a "dungeon" makes a lot of sense-- both from getting people to understand the concept of the show... but also because it's probably a lot cheaper to produce. On a stage in a series of cave and tunnels sets rather than having to go out on location (or partial location and then having to create all the buildings in CG.)

And as far as the 'Underdark' is concerned... it makes more than enough sense to get across the idea that these Dungeons in 'Dungeons & Dragons' are not just a series of caves, but an actual huge world of dungeon complexes that interconnect underground to create this entire landscape, and which are filled with multitudes of monsters and creatures. If you really what to emphasize the dungeon idea for this show to distinguish it from the Lord of the Rings show... the Underdark is the ultimate dungeon.

 

[Morrus]

If you really what to emphasize the dungeon idea for this show to distinguish it from the Lord of the Rings show... the Underdark is the ultimate dungeon.

BUT DOES IT HAVE A BALROG

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

BUT DOES IT HAVE A BALROG

Sir, I will have to ask you to stop casting Summon Lawyer.

 

[Sonny]

I hope they don't stick to the Forgotten Realms for the Underdark. I really like Torog. His story and him crawling about the Underdark and even pulling an entire surface city down was one of the highlights of 4e lore for me.