D&D General What Are Dragonlance's Weis & Hickman, and Actor Manganiello Cooking Up?

Actor and D&D superfan Joe Manganiello and Dragonlance co-author Tracy Hickman have both posted a cryptic image on their respective social medias showing themselves, along with Margaret Weis standing together in front of a large dragon statue at Wizards of the Coast's offices in Renton, Washington.

Hickman's image was accompanied by the words "Something is coming...", and in Manganiello's case "WE'RE BACK", to which Wizards of the Coast replied "Welcome back to the table!" A later photograph from Weis also included Laura Hickman and Dan Ayoub, who was named head of Dungeons & Dragons back in July of this year.

The posts have sparked speculation as to what they might mean, with guesses ranging from a revival of Manganiello's Dragonlance TV show project--which was no longer in development after he stated in February 2024 that "Dragonlance is not a property WotC are interested in developing further currently"--to a new Dragonlance-based D&D adventure.

Weis and Hickman co-wrote a new Dragonlance trilogy in recent years following a legal dust-up with Wizards of the Coast which was ultimately dismissed without prejudice, so it would seem that any bad blood from the dispute has been left in the past.

The question now remains--what are they all cooking up this time?

 

[TwoSix]

Character descriptions like skin color and hair color are meaningless when you’re adapting a non-Earth fantasy work to a live-action adaptation. Just cast good actors!

 

[Scribe]

Just cast good actors!

Two actors, both equally good actors.

One, matches the descriptions and depictions of the character as presented for decades. The other, hell lets go all out, is even cast from the opposite sex because why not right? I think thats how it works these days.

Who do you give the role to?

 

[plecostomus]

Sorry, but if they can't find an actor with eyes shaped like this, it's not real Dragonlance!

More seriously, one thing I've noticed in shows with contact lenses is the lens does not react to light, so someone wearing lenses always looks zombified. A lot of lenses look cool in a photograph (here's a Raistlin one Raistlin Majere [One Lens] - Samhain Contact Lenses), but when someone is actually moving around it gets weird. Most recent example I can think of is Bianca the siren in the Wednesday show.

 

[mamba]

And why must Krynn’s “mix” be entirely white? That’s a really repulsive idea.

It isn't, we have two natives and two (three with Kitiara) that I said could be hispanic. I only said none of the main cast are black or asian. Also, I am not seeing it as repulsive, Vikings are white, Wakandans are black, the people in Chief of War are Hawaiian, etc. it does not always have to be a mix that looks like NYC, in fact that is not particularly representative of most of the world.

I'd rather have them stick to the source material than have a mix of ethnicities in every small village that makes no sense being there but apparently stops you from being repulsed by it because it looks like whatever city you are in, even if it looks nothing like the region it is supposed to represent / the source material describes.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Dragonlance tried to be inclusive for the standars of that age.

OK, we are too used for the image of the characters according of Elmore's pictures, and it is nobody's fault.

If the producer was Netflix, you can bet about possible changes or tell that kind of jokes.

I suspect only one episode would be enough to find Kitiara and her girlfriends in rule34.

Here a choice will be necessary: if the action-live serie will be a different continuity or alternate timeline. The second option could allow more creative freedom to change or fix details but it would affect radically the D&D multiverse because the parallel worlds or wildspaces would become canon. For example an alternate Krynnspace with gemdragons would be possible.

If there is a serie, and later there is a strategy videogame, the war of the lance could be rewritten completely because the experience would teach some events would be more possible than others.

 

[pukunui]

the people in Chief of War are Hawaiian, etc.

Most of the actors are Māori, though, including some current and former All Blacks.

Also, you’re talking about real world peoples. Yes, Wakandans are fictional, but they’re fictional Africans. The peoples of Ansalon are entirely fictional.

I won’t be upset if they make Tanis a red-haired white guy; but I will be upset if they have him cosplaying as a Native American.

Goldmoon and Riverwind will need to be either not cosplaying as Native American either or else they’ll need to look the part (e.g. no Aryan features for Goldmoon).

Other than that, there are few indications in the Chronicles of what different groups of people around Ansalon look like. We know that humans from Ergoth tend to have dark skin, but IIRC that’s about it.

There’s no reason why the humans of Solamnia, Abanasinia, Nordmaar, etc need to look like any particular real world ethnicities.

I’m with @Paul Farquhar: better that any modern DL show (live action or animated) ignore all of Elmore’s art.

Honestly, the only things that really matter are things like Raistlin having gold skin, white hair, and hourglass pupils.

And Sturm’s quivering moustaches.

 

[Scribe]

Vikings are white

How dare you!

 

[mamba]

Also, you’re talking about real world peoples. Yes, Wakandans are fictional, but they’re fictional Africans. The peoples of Ansalon are entirely fictional.

they are, but they are somewhat based on existing peoples, esp. the main characters are pretty well defined ethnically, I never said anything about the rest of Krynn

I won’t be upset if they make Tanis a red-haired white guy; but I will be upset if they have him cosplaying as a Native American.

why would he

Goldmoon and Riverwind will need to be either not cosplaying as Native American either or else they’ll need to look the part (e.g. no Aryan features for Goldmoon).

she can have lighter hair, no need to go all out blond imo

Other than that, there are few indications in the Chronicles of what different groups of people around Ansalon look like. We know that humans from Ergoth tend to have dark skin, but IIRC that’s about it.

yep, I would have no issues with the knights of Solamnia being a mix, they do not all have to be Sturm clones

There’s no reason why the humans of Solamnia, Abanasinia, Nordmaar, etc need to look like any particular real world ethnicities.

again, I was talking about the main characters, apart from that I would flavor them regionally, the way GoT does, not have a nonsensical mix everywhere, the way RoP does

Honestly, the only things that really matter are things like Raistlin having gold skin, white hair, and hourglass pupils.

agreed, that is more important, I would not go as far as saying it is the only thing that matters

 

[Marc Radle]

Elmore's art was definitive in defining the look of the main characters, and I would not in any way call that art cheesy.

I would hope that the main cast in any new show would at least be close in appearance to how they look on the covers of those great classic covers!

I think Goldmoon needs the blond / gold hair, it's a part of her character. But she could certainly be less Caucasian.

She's probably too young, but for anyone that watches the show High Potential, the actress that plays the daughter (Amirah Johnson) has a great look that could work well as Goldmoon ...

 

[Umbran]

Mod Note:
Some of you read like you are purposely trying to troll folks with stuff you know they'll respond to as kinda racist.

You are hereby warned - keep it up, and you'll be removed from the discussion not for being racist, but for picking fights.